Inkfall
by Kallypso
Summary: 5 years after Inkfate the story continues and the players are beginning to take fate into their own hands. Grudges run deep, evil still lurks and nothing is as it seems. Blood will flow as the dice fall and the story draws to an epic conclusion. I'm back!
1. Prolouge

**_Ok so this is the prolouge of the final instalment of the series. God it has been awhile since we met Callypso frightened young writer and her devilish friend Kat. Now Callypso is much more brave and cynical and Kat is... still devlish but more level headed due to all the depressing crap that's happened in her life. They seem to be the only evolving characters though. Dustfinger still betrays them every second, Basta is a Basta-rd... and Cockerell is the most annoying rooster impersination ever to exist. And Capricorn is still a backseat main villian, never doing anything by himself. Jo hasn't evolved much either, probably because she hasn't been in both books._**

**_Before I go on with the prolouge, here are some fun facts about the making of Inkpen and Inkfate:_**

**_1) Did you know I origionally intended this to be a drama. I mean I actually sat down and told myself "Kallypso. You are not going to write a funny story. Be depressing." Which I was kind of... but I still managed to cram alot of sarcasm in there and now I realize how bland this book would've been without it to balance out the depressing stuff._**

**_2) You'll notice how my chapters started out really short in Inkpen. This was because I basically started the story on a writers block. I wanted to write a kidnapping scene. Would you believe this stroy developed off of that! A kidnapping scene what was I thinking? Well whatever it was I'm glad I did think it because this story turned out pretty good._**

**_3)Regarding Fenoglio: I never liked that character and I wasn't even sure how to write him in. I was going through awful writers block when I suddenly decided: Let's just cut him out! I'm not even following the story line of Inkspell or Inkdeath so he's a pointless character! Thus he was booted out of the story._**

**_4) You might notice how I crammed a lot of Basta scenes into the first book especially. Why? BECAUSE BASTA'S MY FAVORITE CHARACTER IN INKHEART! I always love the villians more in the stories. I did ease off of those scenes in Inkfate though._**

**_5) Ok, in to Inkfate. I had absolutely no fricken clue what was going to happen in this book. I actually already figured out most of the plot for the third book before the second. All I knew was Kat's past with her brother and all that crap and that Callypso and her were gonna get captured. The rest of the book was on the spot plot development._**

**_6) You know the character of Jo? Would you believe that was a last minute decision? Like I literally came up with her as I was writing chapter 1. I'm not joking._**

**_7) Origionally, without there being a third friend my plan was to kill off the already created William at the last battle and keep Tyler alive. But Jo came in and I didn't want to have them both live so I killed off Tyler and kept William. Just when you thought Kat could have both things she loved._**

**_8) I select what characters lives I'm going to totally ruin and I enjoy it. Obviously, Kat won._**

**_9) I've already decided who I'm going to kill off: Hahaha. Now I'll tell you I'm killing off two main people not counting bad guys (For all those of you who are playing I will have Cockerell the most annoying thing to hit the plantet, die). This isn't a spoiler because there are eight mainish people in this thing, including our three origionals, William, Dustfinger and the others I can't tell you because that would be a spoiler._**

**_...You know I think now I've just made things worse for you. Now you're saying "OH MY GOD! Two characters out of eight who could they be?" and now you're trying to riddle through them to see, but you can't even tell if you're right because you don't know what the other three are! Now you'll have to keep reading the whole book just to see! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAH- wow I have issues._**

**_10) I gaurentee you'll never see the inciting incident of this story coming. Unless you knew me as a person... then you'd already know it was going to happen because I'm predictable. You can try to guess if you want... TRY! I dare you. You'll probably be wrong. Actually if you read between the lines of what I just wrote you should be able to come up with it... but I doubt it._**

**_If you can guess the plot incident I will... sell my soul to the devil... wait I already did that... I'll shave my head... no I won't I would never do that. I'll... I'll... Ok, I'll give you a tray of cyber cookies._**

**_REVIEW EVERYONE!_**

It's funny the pattern my life has followed. A bizzare, annoying pattern.

It's as if I'm on a big game board, one of those where you draw cards that tell you what to do. I'll always get to the very end before I suddenly draw a card "Woops! Go back to start!" and the whole damn cycle starts over again.

But I long ago decided to take fate into my own hands. I control my life... me and no one else!

...I think I'll record that and play it back a few times to convince myself.

The truth is, my life isn't really controlled by me as much as it is by the people I meet. The friends, the enimies, ect.

If I look back on how my life would be if some people hadn't existed... it would be alot different.

...Possibly better, but alot different.

I might not be alive if it weren't for some of the people in my life.

So I'm taking back my dice and fighting back fate with the people I know.

They are the ones who will see me to the end of my story.

So let the ink pen come out one last time, let the dice fall.

I'm ready to finish my story.

* * *

**_THat's all for now! REVIEW!_**


	2. Chapter 1

**_Next chapter! MERRY CHRISTMAS ONE AND ALL!_**

**_Also no one actually attempted to guess the incident that will start this story off in the... 2nd chapter I believe. I guess no one knows the twist at the beggining and I get all these cyber cookies to myself! Oh well... you can still try to guess though! But you won't get it right! HAHAHAHAHA!_**

**_Anyway, read, enjoy and as always: REVIEW!_**

"Callypso stop banging your head against the keyboard." Kat called flatly from the kitchen.

"I have writers block!" I answered in a growl.

"You're giving yourself brain damage not helping your writers block" Kat sighed.

I ignored her and continued to beat myself over the head with the keyboard "Just. Read. Your. News. Paper."

My friend rolled her eyes and turned her eyes back to the words on the page.

Yes, the dreaded writers block had been plauging me for over a month now. I just couldn't come up with an idea for a conclusion to the Trilogy I had promised.

To catch you up to speed: It's been five years since we pulled our stunt, since we'd escaped, since Tyler was killed, since we'd seen a single black jacket. It had been a wonderful five years if I do say so myself.

After we escaped Kat and I sold our houses and we used the money to buy ourselves an apartment far away from Florida where we stayed room mates.

Jo had split up from us because as she said, it was better if we weren't all in the same place. Now she was a park ranger out in Wyoming. We periodicly contacted her through phones and email because she told us that if anything happened and we didn't tell her, she would haunt us for all eternity.

...'enough said...

As for Kat and I, we were doing pretty well.

Kat had earned a degree in Law enforcement and was working as a cop. She was the best fighter and her class and there wasn't an officer that could top her with a pistol. Her hair was even shorter now, jet black and cut in a spiky, boyish style that framed her face and made her charcol eyes stand out even more.

My dark brown hair was longer now and always kept up in a messy style with a clip and my eyes were still blue as anything. I had earned a degree in English and was on the best sellers list as an author.

What are my stories about? Well people say that life experiances can make good stories if interesting enough. And I think mine are plenty interesting enough.

I mean, villians read out of a book, a girl who can write stuff to life, a girl who can read minds, a girl with telekenesis and so many other wonders?

What a totally origional and geinus, but _completely outlandish and imposible _idea right?

God it still kills me that these two books are in the fantasy section.

I had been careful. I changed the names in the story and was writing under an alias. Not to mention I had changed appearances so that no one could ever try to read them out again should someone ever need to. I mean god forbid. I can only deal with one set of psychotic bad guys. And black jackets couldn't read anyway, and I'm pretty sure Capricorn doesn't make regular trips to the book store... at least I don't think he does.

I had written to books and everyone was screaming for a final instalment. The problem: NO FRICKEN INSPIRATION!

Which you know, I didn't really mind. But these people thought I came up with this myself and I definetly hadn't. So now here I was with writers block.

God, why did I promise a third book anyway? That's so annoying! What possesed me to do that?

Whether it was demons or Kat I now had to write another book.

Sighing I got up from the computer and went over to the window. Below there were people walking dogs, and children killing eachother. Aw those joyful pleasures. I thought I saw movement catch my eye from somewhere outside but it was just a cat.

"You have that look on your face." Kat appeared by my side.

"What look?" I asked innocently.

"The 'paranoid, I'm being watched' look" Kat smiled slightly.

"I always feel like I'm being watched and I will till I die." I muttered. "Too much has happened for me to ever feel normal."

Kat sighed looking far off. "Yeah... it sucks doesn't it."

Kat had changed alot in the past five years. She was still sarcastic, still funny, still vicous but she had aged. She was more level headed, more cautious, more down to earth. SHe was still Kat but just... not.

It was the death of Tyler and I knew it. Before I guess death had seemed unreal to us. Our moms had been killed but we hadn't been there to witness it. I still hadn't witnessed death, I had been playing dead when it happened.

But Kat... Kat saw her brother shot before her eyes and then she had killed Flatnose without a drop of remorse or hestiation. It had changed her. Now she shot to wound and not kill. I think that she was afraid of killing again. I think she was afraid of losing herself, of slipping away and becoming evil. Like Capricorn. Like _them._

I patted her shoulder in an attempt to pull her out of her memories.

She managed a smile at me. "I'm fine." she glanced at the clock on the wall. "Oh crap, I'm gonna be late." she grabbed her stuff and headed for the door "There's a gun on the wall if you need to use it!"

"I know Kat!" I rolled my eyes. How many of you people say good bye to eachother like that huh?

Sighing I sat back down at my computer and burried my head in my hands, waiting for the inspiration to come.

Little did I know that the inspiration was coming, and fast. But in the least likely way I would expect it.

* * *

**_Guess how the inspiration will come if you dare... for a tray of CYBER COOKIES!!!_**

**_REVIEW!_**


	3. Chapter 2

**_Ok so I'm doing major revising cause I got a better idea for how to handle this story! I think it will be more suspensful anyway as a opposed to my other version so I'm picking it up here at chapter 2. This is an action packed chapter. Yes this is going to be very different from what I did first but I think it's better :)_**

**_REVIEW!_**

"Anything yet?" Kat asked me as she came through the door.

"Nope." I sighed.

Kat peered over my shoulder "You don't look like you're brain storming."

"Well what do you call what I'm doing!" I snapped.

"Browsing youtube."

"...shut up."

Kat rolled her eyes and plopped a few plastic bags on the counter "Hungry? I ordered chinese takeout."

"Yum!" I hurried over to the table forgetting completely about my writers block depression.

Chinese food does that to me.

"So it's Tuesday." Kat commented mildly as she unpacked the food. "You know what that means."

"Oh yeah" I grinned as I dumped soysause on my rice "We'll probably be getting a call from Jo right about-"

The phone rang with cleshe promptness.

"Now." I finished.

We both dived for the phone but I got to it first and answered "Kanichiwa"

"Having chinese takeout?" Jo's sly voice asked from the other side of the line.

I frowned "Are you reading my mind."

"No. Kanichiwa is chinese. It was a guess."

"Oh... good guess."

Jo laughed "So, how are things?"

"Good." I nodded. "For the most part... I have writers block depression."

"I can get you some pills for that" Jo deadpanned.

"Ha, ha." I rolled my eyes. "But seriously, everythings fine. No, ah, crows that we've seen."

"That's good." Jo said and there was a slight pause before she said "I believe you."

"How does reading a mind through the phone work Jo?" I asked curiously.

"I have absolutely no clue!" she said cheerfully. "Where's Kat?"

"IN THE BACKGROUND!" Kat yelled loudly.

"Kat you're gonna get us thrown out of the appartment." I sighed. "I'll put her on. Talk to you later Jo."

"Ok, see ya!"

I sat back down to eat while Kat and Jo argued over whether being a cop or park ranger is better. They did this every week.

Ah, the bonds of friendship.

* * *

It was much later when we got another call. Kat answered this time "Hello?"

There was talking on the other end that I couldn't make out.

Kat sighed theatricly "Now?"

A pause.

"Yeah ok. Be over in five minutes." she hung up.

"What was that all about?" I asked.

"Police station wants me to come down and look at something. I should be back in a few hours at most." she answered.

"Don't kill yourself!" I called after her in the usual fairwell.

"You too!"

Wanting to do anything but go back to writing I busied myself with cleaning up the kitchen and throwing away the last of the chinese food. Then I just went around mindlessly cleaning the house for awhile.

Then there was a knock on the door.

Maybe I wasn't thinking straight and I didn't remember that Kat _never _knocks on the door. I just walked right up and opened it. I immediately wished that I didn't.

"Hello princess"

I stumbled back "Cockerell!"

Yes the failure at rooster impersinations was standing in the doorway flanked by the obviously back from the dead Flatnose and two other black jackets I didn't recognize. There was no Basta but hell, I wasn't complaining.

I paniced and tried to run (where I wasn't sure seeing as the only exit was being blocked by these black jackets. Maybe the window. It's only five stories up.) but Cockerell moved faster catching my wrist and pulling me back to him. One arm curled tightly around my waist, pinning my arms to my side and he drew a gun in his other hand and pressed the barrel hard under my chin, forceing my head up uncomfortably high.

"I wouldn't scream if I were you." he threatened.

I struggled to keep my voice from shaking "H-how?"

"Just how long did you think you could pull off that little stunt sweetheart?" Cockerell hissed in my ear.

"Uh... five years?" I tried.

The gun clicked and my breath hitched as Cockerell pressed the barrel of the gun harder under my jaw "Watch it princess. You have no idea how long I've wanted to put a bullet through your head so I wouldn't tempt me."

"Well why don't you?" I asked tightly.

There was a smirk in Cockerell's voice "Oh I would... but Capricorn wants you alive for now... either way I'll get to see you die little writer."

I felt chills go up my spine. I was frozen stiff, I couldn't move, I could barely breath.

"Where's the little brat?" Flatnose growled looking quite vicious. Oh right Kat killed him didn't she? Life's like that I guess.

"She's out" I whispered, hoping Kat would take a good long time at the police station.

"That's too bad eh Flatnose?" Cockerell grinned. "We were told we could shoot your little friends on sight. I wanted the honor."

My fear turned to rage faster than a blink and I stepped down hard on his foot. He hissed and his grip loosened just enough for me to slip out of his grip and dart out the door. Whoever invented adrenalin rushes, props to them! They constantly are saving my life.

How had they found me? Where was I going? What was the plan? These were all excellent questions that I unfortunately lacked an answer too. I was kind of just... running for it. I didn't want to call for help cause I didn't want any one else dragged into it. I sprinted out the backdoor and into the trees behind the apartment complex.

Then as suddenly as I started I skidded to a stop to avoid running into someone. A familer guy with a knife obsession.

"Basta" I whispered feeling numb with fear. "Crap."

I heard the footsteps behind me and turned on instinct which was probably not the best idea. Basta grabbed me from behind and I felt cool metal press hard against my throat, a sensation I was hoping I'd never have to experience again. I struggled by he had a tight grip on me.

Cockerell and crew stopped and the rooster impersination's eyes narrowed "Basta!" he spat. "What are you doing here!"

...huh?

"Cockerell." Basta answered venemously. "Can't say I'm glad to see you either."

...wait what?

"I ought to shoot you right now." Cockerell's gun raised a fraction.

...Did I miss something?

"Oh will you?" Basta sneered. I drew in an involentary sharp breath as the knife pressed more firmly against my neck. "As far as I've heard Capricorn wants this one alive and it would be a _shame _if Capricorn was deprived of his wishes."

...I don't think I'm following this conversation.

Cockerell's eyes narrowed "You're bluffing."

"Try me" the knife's blade broke skin now making me winse and I felt a few drops of blood slide down my neck. "Do you really think I won't kill her Cockerell?"

I couldn't keep my fear from showing on my face even though I tried. I couldn't even breath without the knife moving a little deeper into my skin. Basta could kill me right here if he wanted to. I squeezed my eyes shut, praying silently _'I can't die yet. Please don't let me die now. Oh God help.'_

There was a long, tense silence before Cockerell cursed and lowered his gun again. He looked back at the other black jackets. "We're going. We should tell Capricorn there have been... complications." with a final glare he left and the others followed him.

After what seemed like an eternity the blade came away from my throat and Basta let me go. I dropped to my knees taking in deep gulps of air and wiping the stray blood from my neck. After a pause I looked up shaking

"What. The hell. Just. Happened?"

* * *

**_ I think I'll stop there._**

**_Kat: You evil girl._**

**_Callypso: REVIEW!_**


	4. Chapter 3

**_Ok so after eons... I'm actually updating!_**

**_Kat: Yippee, would you like a medal oh thou of great procrastination!_**

**_Callypso: Especially after you left that cliff hanger!_**

**_Lay off!... Though really I'm sorry! Free cyber cookies for everyone in penence! Oh and also, by the way, I know that people who reviewed the first version of these chapters can't review again for some stupid reason so if you find yourself unable to review just shoot me a note and review like that! Of course new comers to the story can go ahead and just review normally!_**

**_ENJOY!_**

_Previously..._

_After what seemed like an eternity the blade came away from my throat and Basta let me go. I dropped to my knees taking in deep gulps of air and wiping the stray blood from my neck. After a pause I looked up shaking_

_"What. The hell. Just. Happened?"_

The obviously tense look on Basta's face vanished as he looked down at me, replaced by that all to familier menacing and very annoying smirk that I unfortuanetly knew very well. As happy as I was to not have to deal with Cockerell this alternative was not much better.

I mean it's like asking if I'd rather be stabbed or shot... and actually those options could be taken quite literally in the scenario.

...Can't there be a me haveing a normal life option?

Oh wait... I forgot that this is my life. Woops.

"Relax sweetheart." Basta smirked (big suprise there) putting the usual exageration on that God damn annoying nickname. "I'm not going to kill you just yet."

"Oh good, _now _I'm _really_ reasurred." I growled sarcastically putting every ounce of venom I could into my words as I glared up at him.

...I probably didn't look very intimidating, as I was still trying to get over the shock of having my dramatic, nightmare of a life, thrust back at me in a matter of about five minutes.

"Watch your mouth sweetheart" Basta looked fairly amused at me which was quite annoying. He glanced around the night as if waiting to see if Cockerell and the other bastards would come back for me.

Which brought me to another really good question.

"Look" I hissed sharply in a vain attempt to conceal the shaking in my voice. "I've been normal for the past five years so you'll have to fill me in. What... what the hell just happened? Why aren't you with Cockerell? What does Capricorn want me for now? Why-"

Basta cut off my string of questions with his own annoying, rasping voice "Not so many questions princess."

...good lord.

"Would it kill you to call me by my actual name just once!?" I snapped venomously.

Basta flashed a dangerous look and knelt down in front of me. At which point I tried to back up but was blocked by an incredibly, inconveniently placed tree.

...Damn nature.

"You shouldn't push your luck sweetheart." he said softly. "You've probably deduced that I am no longer under Capricorn. There for, unlike Cockerell, I am not required to keep you un harmed." His knife snapped open and I flinched involentarily.

"You remember our little saying don't you princess?" Basta brought the blade to rest on my cheek, over my thin white scar that still lingered there. "A few more scars won't effect your ability to write." the knife edge softly traced the scar. "I might add a few more decorations on your face to match the first so I wouldn't test me."

I tried to avoid his eyes but he slipped a hand under my chin and forced my head up so that I had to look at him "Understand sweetheart?"

I swallowed hard and nodded shakily "Y-Yeah."

Looking satisfied Basta stood and pocketed his knife. He then went back to the task of looking around the forest suspicously.

"Can... can you just answer one question for me?" I asked cautiously.

"Depending on what it is" Basta said without turning to look at me.

I took a deep breath "Why does Capricorn want me this time?"

Basta chuckled and looked back at me smirking "An interesting story to that. See it shouldn't come as a shock to you that Capricorn has been very... displeased with your lack of cooperation lately."

"No doubt" I muttered.

"But for awhile he couldn't kill you because you were the only known writer." Basta smirked darkly. "That's changed now. They found a much more cooperative writer. Now Capricorn wants to make his first buisness _your _formal execution."

A chill went up my spine. It was true I never had faced the threat of death with these guys. Now it was looming right over my head, a forboding black cloud predicting my ultimate doom. It was enough to sufficently scare me.

"You'd think I wouldn't be worth their time" I said with a weak smile. "Guess I've been leaving too much of an impression."

Basta gave me an odd look, like he was suprised that anyone could find any remote humor in this type of situation. I guess through out my wild, depressing, messed up life I had developed quite a dark sense of humor.

"Here's what I don't get" I muttered. "How are they just now finding me? The faking my death thing seemed to work. How did they figure out I was still alive? Why did it take them so long to figure it out in the first place?"

Basta's face darkened slightly "I believe that's more than one question sweetheart."

I sighed deciding to drop it "Right."

At least I had come to a few conclusions though:

1. My life was in mortal danger.

2. My friends lives were in mortal danger.

3. My life is in the hands of Basta.

...All together? Not comforting in the least...

* * *

**_YIPPEE! MAKE SURE YOU REVIEW/ MESSAGE ME!!! Tell me what you think of my new story direction!_**


	5. Chapter 4

_**Ok... so it's been a little while**_

**_Callypso: Or an eon._**

**_Kat: Or an eternity._**

**_Jo: Whichever, take your pick._**

**_...right... now see I have a perfectly reasonable explanat-_**

**_Kat: She was being lazy._**

**_Yeah pretty much REVIEW!_**

**_Third person with Kat_**

"So what's up people?" Kat asked with a theatrical wave to her work buddies Ryan and Chelsea. "You interupted a very good Chinese dinner so it better be good."

"Our apologies" Chelsea rolled her eyes. "Our teams got a new assignment."

Chelsea had blonde hair, pulled back in a pony tail and glasses covering her sharp green eyes. She was a technical genius and had a sharp tounge much like Kat, always making people feel smaller under her interigations.

Ryan on the other hand was much more laid back, friendly and the voice of reason in the group. He was good with a gun though not nearly as good as Kat and good at guilt tripping information out of people. He had wispy brown hair and kind brown eyes.

"What's that?" Kat pulled up a chair and staired at the screen.

"We don't have a picture or anything" Ryan explained. "But we have a general description. Apparently he has quite a record... and was in prison for a time back in Europe. Don't know what he's doing here though."

Kat's eyes traced over the description. Black hair, black jacket, thin, carried a knife... she froze and felt her eyes widen in comprehension.

"Chelsea?" she asked slowly her voice a whisper. "What did you say this guys name was?"

"It's a wierd name" Chelsea shrugged. "Basta... never known anyone named that."

Kat stood so abruptibly she banged her knee on the table but she barely noticed "I've got to go."

"Wha?" Ryan stared at her. "What's wrong Kat? You're as pale as a ghost."

"Don't feel good" she muttered. "Food poisoning." Then she ran from the building as fast as she could. All the way home she was at least five miles over the speed limit until she pulled into the parkinglot and jumped out of the car. She ran all the way up the stairs and burst into the room.

"Callypso!" she called out loudly. "Where are you!?"

Nothing. Kat's heart clenched as she observed the room. There was some signs that there had been a struggle and above the living room-- she pressed a hand to her mouth. A dead rooster. Hanging from the chandelear.

"God no" she whispered "GOD DAMNIT!" She rran over and tore the rooster from the celing chucking it across the room in frustration and anger. Feeling tears come she sat down on the couch gripping her hair in tight fists.

It had to have been Cockerell since Basta would usually use his name... but that was strange... why wouldn't Capricorn send Basta? He always was the one who came anyway, usually with Cockerell.

It took Kat a long time to pull herself together and slowly bring herself to her feet. She would have to deal with this herself. Maybe she could call Jo... no, the less people involved the better. She'd have to make some excuse.

She moved to her cabinet and retrieved her two choice pistols, she slipped them into the pockets on the inside of her jacket and slipped it on. Grabbing her keys from the counter she hurried back out of the apartment.

On her way out she paused to listen for a sign of someone watching her. t was cold outside, even with her jacket, or maybe she was just nervous. Kat jumped back as a car drove up and stopped in front of her. Blinded by headlights she drew her gun and pointed it at the car.

"Easy there Kat, don't shoot the cops!"

Kat relaxed at the sound of Chelsea's voice and lowered her gun "God, you scared me. What are you guys doing here?"

"We came to check on your 'food poisoning'" Chelsea made obvious quotation marks with her hand, her eyes narrowed. "It's a good thing you don't look to sick cause you're getting in the car right now and explaining to us what the Hell's going on."

"No really I'm sick" Kat pretended to be nauseous which wasn't that hard at that moment "Awful food poisoning. Just talking makes me dizzy. You guys go on. I'll definetly catch up with you later on."

Chelsea rolled her eyes "I made it through the same college classes as you Kat, I'm not _stupid._ Get in the damn car!"

Kat crossed her arms "Make me!"

Ryan stepped out of the car and looked at her with pleading eyes "Please Kat, we're really conserned. We just want to help." He was giving her the guilt trip stare but no way was she giving in, she was going to stick this one out and-

"Aw, just stop looking at me like that!" Kat groaned. "Fine! I'll get in the car! You HAPPY!"

"Very" Chelsea smirked.

Once in the back seat of the car Chelsea locked the doors and turned around to face Kat from where the short girl was sitting moodily in the back seat.

"Now what was with the reaction to the suspect Kat?" she asked. "You freaked out."

"Look Chelsea this really isn't nessasary" Kat shook her head quickly.

In response the blonde girl took off her glasses and gave her a hard stare which usually meant she was serious, as in "tell me before I kill you" serious. She was like Kat in that way. Demanding and forceful.

"What are we in an interrogation now!" Kat snapped. "Stop giving me that stare!"

"Kat this is part of our job. Will you just cooperate?" Chelsea groaned smacking her forehead with her hand.

"Please?" Ryan added being the well mannered person he was.

"Ugh" Kat banged her head back against the seat. "I'm _not _going to drag you into this. Anyone who gets dragged into this regrets it. The less you guys know the better. I can't... I can't explain to you guys."

"Are you under a threat?" Ryan asked worriedly.

"Hardly" Kat snorted. "Well yeah I am but that wouldn't stop me. I just know from expieriance that once you're in you'll stay in till they're wiped off the face of this earth. They unfortuantely don't forget easily. Even after you freakin kill them."

"Huh?" Chelsea raised her eyebrows. "What are you talking about? What do you know about this guy?"

Kat looked at them seriously "Well for starters my friend was just kidnapped by them... tonight, she's gone."

"Them?" her friends looked at her.

Kat sighed in defeat "I tell you this you have to pretend you've heard nothing."

They both nodded to Kat's annoyance and rubbed a hand through her hair in frustration "I'll start at the beggining..."

* * *

**_FIRST PERSON!_**

"Am I allowed to ask where the Hell we're going?" I asked as I sat in the passengers seat of the black car. Basta was driving... which funny, I didn't know he could drive seeing as he was from a medeaval set book.

...I hope he gets pulled over.

"No" he said shortly.

I sighed and rested my head against the window "Have you factored in my psycho friend at all Basta? I'm just wondering cause she finds out and she's going to go insane."

"She has no more idea where we're going then you do sweetheart." Basta smirked.

"Yeah," I shrugged. "She's just, you know, a cop."

"How incredibly ironic."

"...what is?"

"Just the fact that Capricorn recently sold me out to the police when they couldn't kill me them selves." Basta muttered bitterly.

"Huh..." I raised my eyebrows. That was very ironic. "Why did he do that again?"

"Do you ever stop asking questions" Basta snapped, glareing at me.

"Writers curse." I sighed. "If I don't have paper to write my thoughts on I'll say them."

"Try to refrain from that." Basta growled.

"You just kidnapped me, do you really think I have a desire to do what you say?" I asked glaring.

"Whether you do or not you don't have much of a choice." Basta casually snapped open his knife. "And you should remeber you would be on your way to execution right now if it weren't from me."

"You should remember I would've never been _in _this situation if you hadn't kidnapped me nine years ago in the first place" I snapped back glareing ahead at the road. "I didn't choose to have my life made a living Hell hole."

"And I didn't choose to get sent to this damn world" Basta said indifferently. "Now keep your thoughts to yourself."

I banged my head against the window. God Kat, hurry up.

* * *

**_REVIEW/ MESSAGE ME LOYAL READERS!_**

**_Callypso: Yeah, we're sorry for the wait!_**

**_Kat: Free cyber cookies to reviewers!_**


	6. Chapter 5

**__****Ok first off I am - SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO sorry for being gone so long. I kind of got obsessed with this one fic in paticular and I between school and a musical I was in I only really had time for one of my fanfictions so I'm sorry... but now it's summer! I'm going back on my clockwork schedule and you'll be getting closer together updates.**

**_Also, though I know where this story is going I was having trouble moving from point A to point B... but writers block is gone for now!_**

**_Kat: Wow, that's the longest apology she ever uttered._**

**_Callypso: Did she even take a breath?_**

**_Jo: Who knows..._**

**_Dustfinger: REVIEW!_**

It was safe to say I was getting desperate. I needed to get out of the car but I wasn't sure jumping out the door on the highway was a very good idea. I wanted to escape but I definetly didn't want to commit suicide.

I needed paper... that's what I needed, but I would never get any. And besides, Basta would be careful to make sure I didn't get my hand on any pen, pencil, charcoal, marker, sharpie, expo marker, or crayon so that I couldn't write squat.

So here I was in the car, being driven to who knows where by one of my worst enemies, fiddling with a stray paper clip as I thought up wild schemes that could never possibly work even if I _did _have good luck.

Yippee...

"Ow..." I winsed as I poked my finger with the sharp end of the now unravled paper clip and started bleeding and stuck my finger in my mouth, trying to stem the blood. _'Stupid paperclip... now even inanimate objects are out to get me... God I need something to write with right n-'_

I paused literally in mid thought and pulled my finger out of my mouth, staring at the tiny droplet of blood that gathered on the skin. I casually glanced over at Basta, his eyes were glued to the road...

Well it was worth a shot...

I carefully dipped the tip of the paperclip into the blood, getting a good ammount on it before I moved it down to touch on the seat right next to my knee. I moved it slowly, trying to remain casually leaning back on my seat as I started to write.

_G_

I kept my breathing steady as I could, trying not to look suspisious.

_E_

_T_

I glanced at Basta a few times, cautiously, but he seemed set on ignoring me...

_M_

_E_

I wasn't even sure this was gonna work. Did blood count as a writing utensil?

_A_

_W_

_A_

I was writing faster now. My fingers moving with practiced ease.

_Y_

_F_

_R_

_O_

My eyes closed... I was getting close...

_M_

_H_

_E_

_R_

_E_

"What are you doing?" Basta's voice... please God make this work.

_._

Then everything faded, I felt my self spinning, falling in an endless blackness, wind rushing all around me, down my open mouth, pushing back a scream that attempted to crawl from my throat. My eyes squeezed shut as the falling continued, wondering if I had just done something wrong and sent myself into some sort of wierd wormhole or gap between worlds or something but a few moments later the spinning stopped.

* * *

_**Third person with Kat!**_

After telling the story Chelsea and Ryan seemed to take the whole "read out of book-I have super powers- Capricorn is an evil goat man- my friend can read things to life-" thing quite well in Kat's opinion.

There eyes were huge after her demonstration of her power, but they did actually seem to believe her, Now they were driving back to the police station, mostly just to come up with a good excuse for Kat leaving for the next, probably several weeks.

"This is all alot to comprehend" Ryan murmured as he drove, still looking pale.

"Yeah... no joke" Chelsea muttered. "You're life is screwed up Kat... no offense."

"None taken... you'd be suprised just how crazy it really is." Kat gave a slight grin.

"After seeing you move Chelsea's glasses off her face with your freaky mind powers? Nope, I'm pretty sure nothing can suprise me." Ryan chuckled.

Kat sniggered as Chelsea turned and glared daggers at her.

There was suddenly a wierd feeling of air rushing inside the car and Kat watching in astonishment as a familer figure suddenly materialized next to her in the back seat before slumping and falling forward, her face hitting the back of the seat in front of her.

"C-C-Callypso!" Kat squeaked.

"HOLY SHIT!" Chelsea screeched.

"Teach me to open my mouth" Ryan sighed, banging his head against the wheel.

Callypso sat up with a tired grin, looking exahausted "Hi ya folks..."

"Callypso" Kat spoke slowly, choosing her words carefully. "You just... materialized in the back seat of a car... I thought you were kidnapped... What. The. Hell?"

"You're taking this well" Callypso commented slyly before turning to look at Chelsea who was still staring at her, her mouth dropped open, her eyes huge. "Hi there! You're one of Kat's police buddies right? I'm Callypso!"

"God, I've seen it all now." Chelsea groaned. "Seen and heard... I think my brains going to explode."

"Oh did you tell them of our wonderful adventures Kat?" Callypso asked.

"How'd ya guess."

"I good like that. Didn't you give them the 'stop, turn back now warning?"

"Tried, but they're annoyingly persistant."

"Oh well" Callypso shrugged. "So anyway... right about my kidnapping, well-"

She told the three cops her story while we hung onto every word until she finished five minutes later.

"So wait back up." Kat said slowly. "Basta's _not _with Capricorn any more?"

"He's the one who set the police on him?" Chelsea asked an eye brow raised.

"Even though he's the one who was ordering him to do everything in the first place?" Ryan murmured with a quizzical look.

"Well... yeah, pretty much" Callypso nodded, yawning. "I'm _really _exhausted. I'm glad that stunt I pulled didn't take more energy... I'm suprised too... guess we hadn't gotten very far..."

"Wait, you knew it would make you tired?" Kat raised an eyebrow.

"Well... I've discovered something lately" Callypso replied. "You know how Meggie's reading gift worked, it had to make an equal trade in order to read something out of a book? Well my gift works simalerly, except it draws from my energy. If I tried something too big it could kill me actually... I'm really tired now... a few steps away from passing out and another few from being dead, but I was desperate and it did work."

"Energy?" Kat murmured, scratching her head. "Life energy?... Huh, I guess I was wondering where the trade off was for your all powerful writing... good thing blood worked huh? You little emo you." she grinned.

"Ha ha" Callypso rolled her eyes.

By this time the police car had reached the station. Kat climbed into the drivers seat as Ryan got out.

"Hey, Callypso and I are gonna dissapear for awhile... tell them that our best friend tragically died leaving behind her scared two little children who need watching until they can get homes or a sob story along those lines..." Kat instructed.

"That's dark" Callypso blinked.

"I know" Kat grinned before turning back to her friends. "Look, I know you guys want to help... but don't... please. If we need you we'll call ok?"

"Fine." Chelsea sighed. "Where are you gonna go?"

"Our friend Jo's." Callypso answered for her friend. "Then... we don't know after that."

"Be careful" Ryan sighed.

"Right" Kat grinned. "I owe you one police car."

"We expect it back" Chelsea commanded. "Good luck Kat."

"Hopefully" Kat nodded, starting the car.

And so it began...

* * *

_**Hope you people liked it!**_

**_Callypso: REVIEW!_**


	7. Chapter 6

_**Ok so this will be my last update before I go to camp for a week on Sunday but I'll update as soon as possible when I get back!**_

**_Callypso: This will be a dramatic chapter._**

**_Kat: And will leave on a depressing cliff hanger none the less._**

**_Jo: Cause the authoress sucks like that._**

**_Oh shut up! REVIEW PLEASE!_**

"Kat, you're falling asleep at the wheel" I told my friend after about two hours drive. "It's almost one in the morning. I think we should stop."

"Ugh... fine." she mumbled yawning. "I'll find a hotel."

"No hotels!" I shook my head quickly. "Sorry but I'm a little paranoid about being trapped in a small room right now with only one way out. Can we stay outside or something? I doubt they'll suspect that anyway."

Kat flashed a grin "Camping trip?"

"Minus the smores" I grinned back.

We had spent the night outside a few times in our lives, namely the ones right after we beat Capricorn the first time and the night we escaped from them. Though I guess Kat didn't exactly sleep that night as it was the night Tyler had died.

Later we had started a small fire in a small expanse of woods and were sitting beside it.

"I'm glad you're safe" Kat sighed. "I thought you'd been kidnapped again."

"Well I was." I shrugged. "But yeah... I'm glad to."

Kat rubbed a hand over her face tiredly "We're in even more danger than we were before. You're scheduled for a first class execution."

"And you're not even wanted alive" I nodded. "They're allowed to shoot you on sight. You're even more of a walking target than usual."

Kat grinned widely "Ah, I don't go dow so easily. I'd probably shoot them first. Let them try!"

"Don't mind if I do."

I froze at the coarse and accented voice. Kat luckily didn't, jumping from her place on the ground, rolling forward a second before a bullet struck her previous spot on the dirt. With lightning speed she turned and drew her gun from her belt pointing it twoards the attacker.

It was Cockerell, Flatnose and a few other black jackets who stood at the edge of the clearing. At the sight of Kat pointing hergun all the others besides Cockerell drew there own to point at her right back at her.

"Well look at that, the runt has a weapon" Cockerell laughed. "How convenient of you to join us sweetheart."

"How inconvenient of you to exist _Cockerell_" Kat countered, her eyes narrowed. "I'm only going to say this once: _Back off._"

"Sorry but we can't do that shrimp, we came for the little writer." he smirked at me. "How'd you ditch Basta princess?"

I allowed a smirk to cross my own face "Trade secret, not telling." I stood behind Kat. "Here's my question: How do you keep finding us?"

He laughed mockingly "Trade secret, not telling."

"Don't twist my words back on me" I frowned. "You shouldn't have the intelligence to comprehend humor."

Kat's eyes moved to where Flatnose stood behind Cockerell and she paled, her hands clenching on her gun "Damnit... why the hell are you still alive?" she hissed, her hands shaking slightly in rage.

"You should know already that we don't die so easily" Flatnose growled.

"Unfortunately." I muttered.

Cockerell sighed impatiently "This pointless talking is getting us no where." he snapped his fingers and one of the black jackets, a masked skinny boy, dropped his gun and lunged forward straight at Kat.

She barely managed to twist out of the way before cartwheeling back and landing in a crouch. The boy waisted no time in spinning and charging again with intense speed. I was suprised at this guys flexibility and agility. He was just as good as Kat who only seemed to be surviving on mere nerve and rage.

I was so concentrated on the fight I didn't even notice Cockerell sneaking up behind me till his arm snaked around my waist and I felt the cool metal of the gun barrel pressing lightly against my temple.

"Just stay still little writer" he breathed in my ear when I struggled and I swallowed, turning my eyes back to the fight.

The masked boy's foot swung up and knocked the gun from Kat's hand sending it spinning away. She barely managed to duck his punch and twist away from a jab to her ribs before countering with an attempted round house kick that the boy stopped with his hand and attempted to throw her off balance. She cartwheeled to the side and landed on one knee before charging once again.

It was like watching two rival gymnasts on steroids fight eachother. That should be a new sport on the olympics or somthing because if Kat wasn't fighting for her life right now and I didn't have a gun to my head and this wasn't _my _screwed up life this would've actually been entertaining.

How can people move like that anyways?

The boy tried to pull a knife from his belt and chucked it Kat's way but she held her ground and raised her hands in front of her. The knife slowed to a stop just before reaching her hand and she grinned.

"Well that's a cheap shot in a fair fight dude." The knife twisted in mid air so that it was faceing it's owner again. "So I won't play fair either." she threw her hands out by her side sending the knife soaring forward but the boy moved with speed I didn't think possible, dodging the knife.

In the mean time Kat held out her hand and her fallen gun came flying back to it a second before she pulled the trigger. The boy fell to his knees, clutching his shoulder in pain but suprisingly making no audible noise.

"I think it's about time I ended this" Cockerell murmured drawing his gun away from my temple and pointing it forward... straight...at...

Oh no.

"KAT MOVE!" I yelled and she started to turn as the crack of a gun fireing sounded through the air. It happened in slow motion, the bullet flying and my friend falling back, hitting the ground with a soft thump.

"BASTARDS!"

I don't know how I got out of Cockerell's grasp, or how I broke his nose or how I got the gun from him but a few moments later I was standing in front of him, pointing the gun with shaking hands, tears streaming down my face.

"Damnit." Cockerell growled, his hand over his bleeding nose. "We'll be back writer... have fun watching your friend die in the meantime."

_Die... Kat can't die..._

As soon as the black jackets dissapeared the gun slipped from my fingers and to the ground and I ran over to where Kat lay, crouching down beside her. The bullet had hit her on the right side of her chest... not her heart... but god there was alot of blood.

"Kat... Kat no... damnit Kat don't die on me now!" I couldn't even attempt to stem the tears flowing down my face.

"Promised... Tyler I'd... live" she murmured, staring up at the stars.

"Don't talk Kat... I'll... I'll fix this" I whispered.

How? I had no paper to heal her, the masked boy had stole her car keys while we weren't looking and I couldn't carry her with the state I was in, my legs were shaking to much. She needed to get to a hospital.

I heard footsteps behind me and I grabbed her fallen gun and swung it around to point at whoever was behind me. If it was Cockerell again I would shoot him. My wrist was caught my another hand, re directing the gun upwards and I saw Basta staring down at me. He wasn't smirking, he didn't look angry, his face was completely unreadable.

I let the gun slip from my hands as I jerked my wrist away, my legs giving so that I fell to my knees "J-Just leave us alone... damnit." I hissed, tears still flowing down my face.

"Don't... touch her... Basta" I heard Kat whisper still trying to sound intimidating in her state. "Don't... you dare..."

Basta said nothing. He just stared down at me as I stared at the ground, as if he was trying to decide what to do.

An idea suddenly occured to me. A desperate and insane idea. If this was any other situation I would _never _consider it. It was hard enough to consider it now as it was. But if I could just save Kat's life...

It took a minute before I decided I was desperate enough.

"Basta..." I whispered, still staring at the ground. "I know... you hate me... and Kat... and the feeling is completely mutual..." I closed my eyes. "But damnit... I can't... lose Kat... please... she needs to get... to a hospital... please help... if you do..." I bit my lips so hard it bled before I could force myself to continue. "I won't run anymore... I'll go with you... I'll do whatever you say damnit... just help her... please... she's the closest thing to family I have left..." through eyes blurred by tears I glared up at him. "You've taken everything else from me just help me this once! Please!"

Yeah that's right... in a huge blow to my pride I'm begging and trying to make a deal with Basta... my worst enemy. But he was the only one around... he was the only one who could help and in that moment I couldn't be picky about appearances.

Basta's eyes were wide in shock. I could tell that I had caught him completely off gaurd with this. He was silent for so long I was pretty sure he was just going to say no. I wouldn't be suprised... this was a desperate attempt. At this point Kat had lost conciousness, but she was still breathing. Shaking my head dropped again, so that I was staring at the ground, tears pooling in the dirt.

"Damnit..."

I looked up as Basta finally spoke for the first time. He was looking down at me and I could swear I thoguht I saw a shred of _sympathy _flash through his eyes. I mean dear god, that's an oxymoron all on itself.

Then walked over to my unconcious friend and picked her up.

* * *

_**Oh the suspense... see ya next week!**_

**_Callypso: You evil girl._**

**_Teehee... REVIEW!_**


	8. Chapter 7

**_I'M BAAAAACK! Did you miss me?_**

**_Callypso: Crap! She's back to ruin our lives!_**

**_Kat: Everyone run!_**

**_Jo: Abandon ship!_**

**_Thanks for the warm welcome. And yes I am back for good now. I finally got motivtion to write and I drilled out about five chapters in the last two days. I have enough to keep you guys reading for a while. SO without further ado... say it with me now._**

**_All: ENJOY AND REVIEW!_**

I never liked hospitals. They were too clean and white. It was like disguising the fact that the prospect of death hung in so many doorways and over so many families. Hospitals felt like a lie to me. It should be grey and sad.

The doctor said it was a miracle Kat lived. He said it was like the bullet stopped just before puncturing her lung. Damage was minor. It would heal. I told them we got caught in the middle of a robbery. It was the only story I could come up with at the time. Now I was sitting next Kat, waiting for her to wake up.

The bullet had been removed and she had been stitched up. I would improve her healing job later. I had gotten sleep so my energy was mostly replenished.

The only thing I was worried about now is Kat was going to kill me when she found out the deal I made to save her life. I was _not _looking forward to that at all.

I couldn't believe Basta had for once, in the long time I knew him, helped me. It was a shock to the system. I really thought he would laugh and drag me off, leaving Kat to bleed to death on the ground. I really did. But he didn't. I was waiting for the sky to start falling and pigs to grow wings.

Maybe I was dreaming. Maybe this was all a surreal nightmare. I hoped it was. I would wake up and be at home in my bed. Kat would be yelling in my ear and telling me to get over my writers block and the black jackets would be hundreds of miles away, thinking I was dead.

Unfortunately my whole life is like a dream, isn't it?

Kat stirred and opened her eyes slowly. I took a deep breath and prepared myself.

"Callypso?" she asked tiredly when she saw me. Relief washed over her. "You're ok."

I managed a grin "So are you."

"Yeah." Kat nodded. "I was in and out a few times. I heard the doctors saying it was a miracle the bullet stopped before it hit an organ."

I laughed "That was your doing wasn't it?"

"I managed to slow it down yeah" Kat nodded. "But not enough." She sat up in bed, looking around. "I thought for sure I would bleed to death though. How'd you manage this? I thought you were exhausted. And there was no hospital nearby. They stole our car. And I thought I saw Basta" she shook her head. "That last part must've been a hallucination."

I winced "Uh… not exactly."

She stared "What? How'd you get us both away? Did you kill him? How'd you save me?"

"I… didn't…" I said slowly. "I didn't get you here Kat. I made a… a deal… that's the reason you got here."

Kat stared at me a long time, blinking. "You… made a deal with Basta…" she said slowly.

I nodded.

"He's the one who brought me here."

"Yes."

Kat was trying to piece this together. "Did you sell your soul or something?"

I bit my lip "Uh… something like that."

I told her about the deal. Her fists clenched on the sheets but she didn't say anything which made me more uncomfortable than all the screaming in the world.

"I was desperate Kat" I whispered. "I couldn't lose you. He was the only one around. He would have taken me with him anyway. I couldn't let you die. Your one of the only things I have left." I sighed. "I'm sorry."

Kat shook her head "You… you're an idiot you know that Callypso?"

"If it were me… wouldn't you do the same thing? If it was the only way?" I asked.

Kat paused before she nodded "Yeah… yeah I probably would. I'd make a deal with the devil to save you Callypso." She looked at me. "I still hate it though."

"I do too." I nodded. "But… but Basta isn't with Capricorn anymore. I'll figure out something." I stood. "I'll be back. Try to get some more rest ok?"

"Yeah, ok."

I shut the door behind me before sighing and leaning against it. Even if Kat understood she still hated this idea. But heck, _I _hated this idea and it was mine in the first place. I stuffed my hands in my pockets and headed outside for some fresh air. I had no idea where Basta was right now but no doubt he was close by. I didn't have any intention of running anyway.

It was cloudy outside, but not raining. At least the weather matched how I felt right now. I sighed and stared down at my feet. What the hell had I gotten myself into?

"Not thinking of running away are you?"

I jumped and spun around to see Basta leaning against the hospital wall. I clutched my chest, breathing hard "God, don't _do _that! I really hate it when you pop out of nowhere. I have bad experiences with you doing that, you know."

"I'm aware." Basta smirked. "Thought you were about to make a break for it for a minute."

I frowned "You don't give me much credit." I sighed. "As much as I'd love to I'm not going to run. I'm keeping my promise."

"That's good." He said evenly.

I turned away from him "Basta… thank you." I winced. "Oh my god, I never thought I'd put those two words together _ever._ Ugh."

"I never thought I'd hear them come out of your mouth" Basta said after a pause.

"Tastes like vinegar on my tongue trust me" I still couldn't look at him. I convince myself I wasn't talking with Basta if I didn't see him right?

God desperation can make you stupid.

"Basta… do you have any intention of returning to Capricorn?" I asked.

There was a long pause. It was probably a stupid question to ask but there's no better place to almost get killed then in front of a hospital.

"Even if I did he wouldn't let me" Basta said darkly. There was venom in his voice. Resentment. Hopefully it was geared towards Capricorn and not me because let's be honest I had nothing to do with it.

"I have another proposition." I turned back to look at him.

He studied me carefully "You enjoy making those don't you sweetheart?"

I did my best to ignore the nickname. "Here's the deal. For the last nine years of my life I have been running, hiding, praying that I wouldn't be found. But it's clear this mess I've gotten involved in… that _you _got me involved in, isn't going to leave me alone as long as it's around." My voice was grim as I spoke. "I hate this way of living. I want to be free from this damn fear for once in my life. I want Capricorn and all of those damn books gone. I want Cockerel lying dead in a ditch somewhere. I want Mortola poisoned in her sleep and I want Orpheus' tongue cut out of his mouth." Grimness was melting into vengeful bitterness. Basta was staring at me with interest. Maybe he had never seen my anger in such a sincere form. Sure he knew I hated the black jackets but I never was the one whose threats were taken seriously. "I want them all dead. I want this over." I glared at him. "I… need your help… I'll stand by my promise. But please… work with me here."

Basta stared at me before smirking "And why should I help you with that?"

"You want to know why?" I hissed. "You want me to _list _the reasons because I will!" I began ticking them off on my fingers. "You ruined my life by dragging me into this mess. You were behind the missions that killed my family and my friend's family. You were the distraction that caused Tyler to lose his life. You are the reason I have walked down the streets _looking _for someone to attack me, to kidnap me, to bring me back into my living _nightmare_. You are the reason I've been so afraid for all this time because yes, you terrify me, congratulations." My fists clenched. "And if that doesn't give you enough reasons… if you don't think that counts because you didn't actually get anything out of it then think about this" I stabbed a finger in his direction "The reason you're still alive the _only _reason, is because of me. Because when you were setup to be executed nine years ago by Capricorn, I wrote them away and for some reason I can't comprehend you survived. If you hadn't I would have been out of this mess years ago. But you did. I saved your life. _That's _why you owe me!"

I swallowed as soon as I finished and turned away, rubbing a hand over my face, tiredly. I really was so sick of this that I would yell at him despite the fact that he might kill me now. I waited… I waited for him to do something. The silence was torturous.

I heard a sigh from behind me "If you hate me so much why did you make your first deal with me?"

"For Kat." I muttered. "That's the only reason. There was no other way. I was exhausted. I couldn't do anything to help her. She's one of the only things I have left now."

"…Fine."

I turned to stare at him. He gave me a withering look "You're lucky I hate being in debt to people."

I almost smiled but I caught myself.

"Well," I heard Kat's voice from the hospital door. "If you're going to bring down Capricorn you aren't leaving me behind."

"Kat." I sighed. "You've been shot."

"So?" she asked stubbornly. "You're a writer with freaky powers. Heal me up the rest of the way."

"How did you get out of the hospital?" I asked.

She considered this "You don't really need to know that."

I smacked a hand to my forehead.

Kat looked past me and at Basta, her eyes narrowed "Don't think about saying no because I will follow you anyway. You don't think you can go through with just alone do you? You're lucky we have so many friends who hate Capricorn." She placed a hand on her chin. "Of course they hate you too, but will deal with that when it comes."

"Why couldn't you still be unconscious, princess?" Basta asked, annoyed.

"I hate you too." Kat returned. "A lot. And I'm not bound by any stupid deal like Callypso is."

"Fine." Basta smirked. "Callypso, tell your friend to stop being annoying."

"I'll tell her, but she won't listen" I muttered. "Watch: Kat stop being annoying."

"No chance in Hell."

I sighed "See?"

"You forget that I saved your life." Basta said, raising his eyebrows in a challenge.

Kat's eyes narrowed "You forget that first you ruined it."

"I'm going to break this argument up" I said, stepping in between them. "I don't want to almost kill Kat again."

"Fine" Kat muttered. "So I guess we know the obvious first step."

"Jo" I nodded.

"Your other friend" Basta muttered.

"Yeah, she would kind of kill us if we didn't tell her." I shrugged. "Don't sound so excited. We need all the help we can get. And no offence, but you don't have any friends."

"Yeah" Kat nodded. "I better go wake up those doctors."

"Uh, what?"

"Be right back!"

I watched Kat hurry back into the hospital as fast as a girl who was just shot could.

"She's scary." I sighed.

"Don't forget sweet heart." Basta told me. "I'm allowing this because I want to take my own revenge on Capricorn. But you can't try anything. We still have our deal."

"I know" I murmured. "I know… and you know the reason I made the second one?"

"Why's that?" he asked.

"Because you saved Kat's life" I sighed. "I would rather die than work with you if it hadn't been for that."

I still would probably consider dying though. It would all depend. Who knew what would happen?

* * *

**_I gave you guys an extra long chapter to be nice! And I'm using spell check now! Hows that for an upgrade?_**

**_Callypso: Oh yeah, you're a saint aren't you..._**

**_Kat: Totally..._**

**_I don't appreciate the sarcasm from those who do not posses a machine gun._**

**_Callypso: AUGH! PUT THAT THING DOWN!_**

**_MWAHAHAHA!_**

**_Kat: RUN... and REVIEW!_**


	9. Chapter 8

**_Here's the next chapter. I'm dead tired from the Oral itnterp competition. I'm going to bed... :P_**

I was the one designated to drive to Jo's up in Wyoming, because Basta didn't trust Kat and Kat didn't trust Basta. Kat trusted me because I was her friend and I was bound to do what Basta said so for that I was driving. I didn't really want to be in the same car with either of them at the same time.

The last time that happened had been five years ago when I was kidnapped the second time. Kat had just figured out who Basta was and what role he had played in the ruining of her life and Basta was still with Capricorn at the time. The tension in the car had been unbelievably uncomfortable.

On the bright side, this time Cockerel wasn't here and I was the one driving.

Still, it was a long drive to Wyoming.

"Oh, before we go, I need to heal you the rest of the way Kat." I said, pulling a sheet of paper and pencil from my pocket that I had taken from the hospital. Basta tensed. I guess he didn't much like my power, being suspicious and all.

"Relax; I'm not going to do anything other than that." I sighed. "I'd let you be sure but… you still can't read can you?"

Basta made a hissing sound and turned to glare out the window "Go ahead."

I wrote my healing words.

_Kat's wound, now rid of it's bullet, knitted itself together again, muscle and skin. When she was new again the stitches fell away leaving only a small scar as memory of the wound._

There was a pause before Kat winced and clutched her chest. Moments later she raised her eyebrows and tapped her old wound gingerly.

"It's healed." She grinned. "Thanks Callypso."

"No problem" I shrugged and turned the keys in the ignition. "Alright. To Jo's… before she suspects we're up to something without her. No one wants an angry mind reader on their back."

* * *

I had hoped to make to the trip in one day, but traffic and the fact that my wishes are never adhered to, made me too tired to continue driving.

"She'll crash if she keeps going on" Kat sighed.

"Will not" I muttered tiredly.

"Come on," Kat quipped. "Don't be stubborn. You need your energy more than anyone. You're the writer."

"I'm not stopping. We'll be there soon!" I snapped.

"We won't get there for another five hours!"

"Kat let me handle this!"

"Pull over" Basta broke in. "Now."

I sighed and banged my head against the wheel. Curse that stupid deal. "Fine."

I pulled off the side of the rode and hid the car in the trees. "We'll have to sleep outside. There's no hotel in sight. Besides I don't want to be trapped behind walls if something happens."

"Fine by me." Kat agreed.

Basta nodded his approval but said nothing. He didn't talk as much as he used to, when he worked for Capricorn. Not that I minded that.

Kat started a fire. Basta stayed a good distance away from it. I had forgotten that he was afraid of fire. I didn't know why though. I had never read the book. Somehow I never really wanted too, and I hadn't gotten the chance. I wish I had now. It could have been helpful.

"You sleep" Kat told me. "I'll keep watch."

"Thanks" I sank gratefully onto the ground. I was out before my head hit the leaves.

* * *

Kat knew Basta wasn't asleep. His eyes were closed but she guessed he was watching her. He didn't trust her. Kat had a right mind to kill him. It would make things easier. But she couldn't bring herself to do that. She didn't want to kill in cold blood ever again. Besides, as much as she didn't want to admit it, Basta had saved her life. Even if it was because of Callypso. She hated that she was in debt to him in some way.

But no… he ruined her life. She shouldn't be in debt to him… Not ever. She hated him. She always had. Why did he have to be against Capricorn now? Why couldn't Capricorn have shot him on the spot when he turned on him?

Kat cursed under her breath and gripped her hair in her hands. The sound of a twig snapping reached her ears and her head snapped up, her hand automatically flying to her gun. Slowly she rose to her feet. In the dim light provided by the fire she saw a shadowy figure moving through the woods. Quietly she moved away from the camp sight and in pursuit of the shadow.

Even when she was away from the fire she saw that the figure was producing his own source of light. She didn't know many who could do that. A small smile touching her lips she bent down and picked up a pine cone. Then she chucked it at the figures head.

The figure hissed in pain and turned around. Dustfinger's eyes widened, in surprise.

"Kat?"

"Thought it was you" she grinned.

"You're always throwing pine cones at me" he sighed. "What are you doing out here?"

"Uh…" Kat thought about how to answer this. "It's a long story."

"Does it have anything to do with Capricorn?" Dustfinger asked suspiciously.

"Yeah, sort of…" Kat nodded. "Look, there have been some… interesting turns of events so it's important that you-"

Dustfinger's eyes suddenly narrowed. He snapped his fingers and a wall of fire came around him and Kat.

"Basta" he hissed.

Basta was standing on the other side of the fiery wall, a safe distance away. He had a knife in his hand.

"Dustfinger, you'll burn down the forest." Kat snapped. "That's not a good way to do anything!"

Dustfinger called the fire away and back to his hands so only a bit danced in his palm. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask the same about you" Basta growled, taking a step forward. "I hope you're not working as an informant for Capricorn again, Dustfinger."

"Why would I be doing that?" Dustfinger hissed. "When I know he'll never give me what I want! You would know if I was anyway!"

"No he wouldn't" Kat murmured. "About those interesting turn of events I was referring to… uh… well…"

Dustfinger was staring at Basta in astonishment "You… you're no longer…" his eyes narrowed. "How is that possible?"

"That isn't any of your business." Basta said, his teeth gritted.

"You were Capricorn's most loyal dog, why on earth would you now be against him." Dustfinger asked, looking just as vicious as Basta. "Did he decide to cast you aside?"

"Shut your mouth" Basta hissed.

"So now you're out for revenge against those girls?" Dustfinger continued on. "You won't touch them."

"Dustfinger" Kat muttered.

"You are quick to jump to conclusions aren't you Dirtyfingers?" Basta raised his knife.

"I will bring fire on you Basta" Dustfinger growled.

"This knife will be between your eyes before your hand starts to heat up." Basta hissed.

The men began to advance. Kat wasn't sure what the hell to do.

"Stop it!" Callypso broke from the trees and stepped in between the two men, catching Basta's wrist in one hand and Dustfinger's in the other. "Can you two stop your rivalry for one second to actually get the facts straight? Good lord!" She pushed them both back.

"Callypso?" Dustfinger breathed in shock. "What… how… why…"

"I know, I know," Callypso rubbed a hand over her face. "Look I'll explain Dustfinger. I'm glad you're here. It saves us the trouble of tracking you down."

"Do explain" Dustfinger growled. "Especially concerning what _he's _doing here."

"Alright" Callypso nodded. She turned to glare at Kat "And thanks for doing so much to stop them there."

Kat crossed her arms "Ok, I'm sorry, it was entertaining! So sue me!"

Callypso shook her head. "Sit down Dustfinger. This will take a minute."

* * *

**_Review! Goodnight everybody!_**


	10. Chapter 9

**_We get a little bit of Dustfinger and Basta's history in this chapter. It's my own take on it. So it should be interesting. Review and tell me what you think!_**

Basta went back to camp while I explained. I guess he didn't want to be around when I did. Kat and I filled Dustfinger in on what had happened. When we had finished he was silent, his hands clasped in front of his mouth. His eyes were clouded in thought.

"You are a strange girl Callypso" he finally said. "And foolish. But you are a loyal friend aren't you? A good one to have."

I flushed "Thanks I guess."

Dustfinger half smiled. "So, you want to lead a vendetta against Capricorn, and bring him down."

"Yes" I nodded. "I'm tired of hiding and waiting."

"You want my help?"

"I do" I nodded. "I need all the help I can get. Capricorn as a lot of men. We have the advantage that most of them are stupid."

"Yes" Dustfinger nodded. "I want to see Capricorn go down as much as you, so I will help." His face darkened. "But don't expect Basta and I to get along. We have our own grudges." He touched the scars on his face, lightly.

"Right, just don't kill each other and I don't care how much you two fight." I nodded.

"I do!" Kat exclaimed. "My ears will bleed out if they fight too much!"

I rolled my eyes "Then hit them with pine cones. I don't care."

"My pleasure" Kat grinned.

Dustfinger sighed and smiled absently.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing." He said. "You've come a very long way from that scared little writer I once knew Callypso. A very long way."

I looked down at my hands "Yeah… I would hope so."

* * *

Basta was leaned against a tree when we came back to camp. Dustfinger was sure to stand as far away from him as possible in the clearing.

Basta's lip curled when he saw Dustfinger but he said nothing to the man. Instead he looked at me. "Hey, Sweetheart, come here."

I growled at the nickname but walked over to him "What?"

"So, _he_ is coming with us?" by his voice I could tell he wasn't pleased with the idea.

"We need all the help we can get" I said slowly. "I know you two hate each other but… it isn't the time to be picky. Everyone we're getting in touch with hates _you_."

Basta gave no reply.

I sighed "I don't even know _why_ you two hate each other. I never read the book. I never got the chance."

"If you want to know you might as well ask him." Basta growled.

"Fine, I will." I turned and started to leave.

"Your hand is burnt." Basta said out of the blue.

I stopped and looked at my palm. "Oh… yeah, it's nothing. Dustfinger's hands were just really hot when I stepped in the middle of that argument. I grabbed his hand. I got a little burnt."

"I'd put something on that" Basta closed his eyes. "Burns scar easily."

"Uh… right…" I nodded before walking away. Kat and Dustfinger were talking on the other side of the fire. I bent down to sit with them. "Do you have anything for burns Dustfinger?" I asked, showing him my hand.

"When did that happen?" Dustfinger asked.

"When I grabbed your hand during that argument. They were hot. I got burned a little." I shrugged.

"Sorry about that." Dustfinger took a bottle of ointment from his pack. "Give me your hand."

I did. He coated his fingers in the ointment and gently dabbed his fingers over the burned. I winced. Dustfinger sighed "I know burns hurt. I used to get them quite frequently before I learned to master fire." He took a bandage from his pack and wrapped it around my hand. "There it should be fine."

"Thank you" I withdrew my hand. "Dustfinger… do you mind if I ask… why you and Basta hate each other so much? I know he gave you those marks on your face but it had to have started before that."

Dustfinger stared into the fire for a moment "Yes… yes it did."

I waited for him to tell me. After a pause he began.

"I first met Basta through the fire raisers. I was useful to Capricorn because of my skill with fire. When I was still young I was enlisted to join them. I didn't have a family. I was young and naïve. I agreed to join Capricorn. Basta was among new recruits then. We were both eleven at the time."

"Eleven?" my eyes widened. "Just… just that old?"

"Yes."

That was even younger than Meggie when I first met her. It was hard to picture someone that young becoming so blood thirsty.

Dustfinger continued "Actually, though I hate to admit it, we did become friends then. He mostly kept to himself. He would rather sit in the corner and play with his knife then be anywhere near the other fire raisers. Quite frankly I was the same way. I was a young boy then and the older tyrants that served Capricorn terrified me" he smiled bitterly. "It was an awful place to live. You had to keep your head down if you wanted to survive. We both did just that."

"Neither Basta or I wanted to discuss our pasts, nor did either of us ask the other, for fear of having to volunteer our own story in return. We became friends as people with clean slates."

"I didn't know you were a fire raiser." Kat said.

"I was…" Dustfinger's face darkened. "But as we grew older and survived to begin to advance in the ranks of the fire raisers, greater tasks were asked of us. We began going on raids. We began being ordered to… burn down houses. Kill people who did not bow to Capricorn's will. He was becoming stronger. At the time neither of us liked what we were doing, but we did it anyway, for fear of punishment. But one of us was bound to crack eventually."

"I was the one who cracked. I couldn't burn one more house. I was beaten within an inch of my life and left for dead. Basta had thought I'd died. I think that terrified him into ever stepping out of line himself. It was lucky that the Strolling Players found me and took me in. I was forgiven for my deeds because the house I refused to burn down belonged to a family that was very dear to the strolling players. I started a new life there."

"It was several years before I met Basta again. I was nineteen, and so was he. We were friends again… but something had changed in him… I couldn't tell at first but there was a sinister edge to him now. That is what years of being under Capricorn does to you." Dustfinger shook his head. "We were different now. Our rivalry started because we both liked the same girl. It grew with intensity as time went on. But that was not the only reason."

"From the beginning Basta always carried a hatred that I did not. There was something in him that was vengeful, something that was nurtured by Capricorn like kindle to a fire. I confronted him about this. We argued. In the end he left, saying that we were different people now, and that we should both continue with our lives how we saw fit."

Dustfinger closed his eyes "I'd hoped that would be the end of it. But fate inevitably crossed our paths again. He led a party sent to burn the house of a strolling player. A strolling player I was visiting at the time. When I looked at Basta through the kindling fire, I barely knew him. It was like there was nothing of him left. He was lost in blood lust and rage. I turned the flames back on him. He was burned up to his shoulders on both arms."

"That's why he is afraid of fire" I murmured.

"Yes, because of me." Dustfinger nodded. "Ever since he's only ever watched the fires be set. Of course he was quick to seek revenge for the scars I gave him" He touched the scars on his face. "By giving me some of my own. He made sure to make the marks deep so that I would always remember." He shook his head. "He did not kill me. That was when the last bit of our old friendship was used up. From then on we hated each other. We still do, as you know" Dustfinger sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.

I was silent as his story finished. I was trying to put it all together. It was a lot to grasp. It was no wonder Basta wouldn't want to talk about it. If he did he wouldn't give me the full story. I looked over at Basta. He was far away, I could barely make him out in the firelight. He was staring straight ahead, his face bitter. I saw the hatred Dustfinger referred to. I had experienced the hatred first hand.

"You should sleep" Dustfinger told me.

My gaze snapped away from Basta and I nodded "Good idea. I have a long drive tomorrow."

I lay down on the ground but it was a long time before I could finally get to sleep. Dustfinger said that the friend he once knew was completely gone. That every shred of sympathy and mercy was gone. That now he could only hate. That was what drove him. I would believe it if not for one thing.

When he saved Kat's life that night I saw sympathy as I begged him to help. He could have taken me with him without helping her. He didn't.

Maybe there was something left of that old person that Dustfinger knew.

* * *

**_I think it's a differen't take on what happened. You'll get more about Basta later in the story. REVIEW!_**


	11. Chapter 10

**_Ok, so you know the drill._**

**_Callypso: Geez, you're either not updating for months on end or you're updating like wild fire._**

**_Kat: Yeah, pick one and stick with it._**

**_Don't complain. Jo is in this chapter._**

**_Jo: Hooray. Now we can ruin my life too._**

**_Yep. ENJOY!_**

It was a straight trip to Jo's house the next day. Dustfinger seemed a little uncomfortable with the prospect of seeing Jo again. Jo had never forgiven him for his betrayal. She didn't trust him either. Even if she could read his mind in a second she wouldn't. She wanted to judge people like everyone else did. Jo was weird like that.

Jo's house was a few miles from Jacksonville Wyoming. It was a small house with a large yard, just right for one person.

"It's cold up here" Kat muttered, wrapping her arms around herself.

"I don't think it is" Dustfinger mused.

"We can't all be fire dancers now can we?" Kat growled at him. "Some of us are _normal_."

"I don't classify you as normal, telekinetic girl." Dustfinger's mouth twitched.

"Hey look a pinecone!"

"Put that thing down!"

"MWAHAHAHA!"

"…Ow…"

I sighed and smacked a hand to my forehead "Kat, stop throwing pinecones at Dustfinger with your mind."

"Fine." Kat got one last shot in before she dropped the rest of them that hung suspended in the air.

I heard a dog barking from inside the house.

"Hey, Dustfinger, Basta" I called. "I would hide and let us explain this. Jo does have a gun."

"Right" Dustfinger muttered. "Good idea."

Basta smirked "Not that you would mind if I was shot."

"No we wouldn't" Kat answered for me.

I sighed and Kat and I walked towards the front door.

"Who do you think she points her gun at first?" Kat asked. "Dustfinger or Basta?"

"Basta" I said obviously.

"Five bucks, says Dustfinger." Kat grinned.

"You're on."

The screen door opened and a giant black lab flew towards us. I was tackled by a mass of fur.

"Ack! Doggie! Stop!"

The dog got off of me immediately to my surprise and sat on the ground, wagging his tail. I stared at him. He looked familiar.

"Fang?" I asked in shock.

The dog nodded its head and barked.

Holy crap… Fang? I lost track of my genius dog! We had sold him to a new owner when we moved to America. How did he find his way over here? Had the owner moved too? How did he end up with Jo?

"He likes you" Kat grinned.

"Guess so…" I pet Fang on the head.

"Callypso? Kat?"

Kat and I looked over to see Jo standing in the doorway, her shotgun slung over her shoulder. Her hair was braided as usual and covered with a leather cowboy hat. She wore a plaid shirt and jeans. She looked like Ranger material.

Our friend ran towards us and pulled us both into a hug. "What are you guys doing up here? I called the house and there was no one home! I was worried sick!"

"Yeah, we decided to uh… come up and visit you." Kat smiled widely.

"Definitely" I said, grinning just as widely.

Jo stared at us, an eyebrow raised. "What's up? Tell me now."

I sighed "Can't you just read our minds to find out?"

"Yeah" Kat agreed. "It would make things a lot easier."

"No" Jo glared. "You will tell me."

I opened my mouth to answer when I saw Fang was growling at someone behind me. Dustfinger and Basta apparently got tired of waiting.

"Easy Fang" I muttered.

Fang obeyed me but Jo already saw. She whipped the gun from her shoulder and pointed it at…

"Five bucks!" Kat crowed. "Pay up!"

"Wow, she really does hate Dustfinger more than Basta" I sighed, handing her the money.

"What are you two doing here" Jo snarled. "What do you want?"

"Jo! Uh… that's kind of part of the explanation" I tapped her on the shoulder. "Don't shoot anyone, please. Lower the gun."

Jo slowly lowered the gun from where it pointed at Dustfinger, sighed, and then whipped around to glare at us "YOU TWO BETTER HAVE A REALLY GOOD EXPLANATION FOR THIS!"

"Augh! We do! We do!"

Jo gripped her coffee mug when we finished explaining. I couldn't believe we would have to do this every time we met someone. It was going to get tiring after awhile. Dustfinger was in the doorway of the kitchen as we explained and Basta was once again avoiding it. He was outside. Fang was insistent that he be watched though so he was out there too.

"You're an idiot Callypso." She finally said.

"That's everyone's response" I groaned.

"But I'm glad Kat's alive" Jo smiled. "So I can't complain. Besides, it was your decision."

"She's loyal" Dustfinger agreed.

Jo glared at him as soon as he spoke "Yes, it's a quality not many people have."

Dustfinger flinched, uncomfortable before he left the room.

"You still haven't forgiven him have you?" Kat asked.

"I don't think I ever will" Jo said darkly. "For what he did."

"Yeah, you pointed the gun at him instead of Basta. What was up with that?" I asked.

"The one thing I hate more than anything is being deceived" Jo murmured. "Sure, I could read any one's mind to discover the truth. But I give them the luxury of choosing. I give them the benefit of doubt." Her knuckles were tight on her coffee cup. "I have never hated Basta that much. I didn't know him well enough to. I only fought him because he was threatening my friends. In all honesty it wouldn't be different if it was any other black jacket. And though he was bad, he was completely honest about that fact." Jo gritted her teeth. "Dustfinger deceived me into thinking I could trust him even though he knew I could read his mind. He took advantage of me. It's worse than anything Basta ever did to me."

I didn't answer. Jo had a funny way of thinking. If you were honest about being evil she wouldn't hate you as much as the double agent.

"You'll have to work with him regardless." I finally said. "If you want to take down Capricorn."

Jo nodded "Yes, I know." She finally smiled. "So my dog seems to like you."

"He would. I created him." I muttered. "Years ago. Fang was a product of my pen and paper. It was a joke I played on the black jackets. How old is Fang now?"

"Eleven or twelve." Jo shrugged. "He's still as big as ever."

"You don't seem surprised that I created him."

"I know" she grinned. "I already read your mind to find out."

I banged my head against the table. "Why is it you read our minds whenever you want but not everyone else's?"

"You're my friends." Jo answered simply. "I don't need to give you the luxury."

"Gee thanks friend" Kat muttered.

I covered up laughter. Jo hadn't changed much. She still had steady judgment.

But she had no pity for liars.

That was going to be a problem with her and Dustfinger.

* * *

_**It's wierd how Jo works isn't it?**_

_**Callypso: Indeed.**_

_**Jo: It's completely logical in my mind.**_

_**Kat: Not in ours.**_

_**Dustfinger: REVIEW!**_


	12. Chapter 11

**_Ok, here's the next chapter!_**

**_Jo: It's full of deep conversations and character development._**

**_Callypso: And Fang._**

**_Kat: Who is awesome._**

**_Yup! REVIEW!_**

"She still hates me" Dustfinger sighed when I left Kat and Jo to argue about cops and rangers. He was in the front hall playing absently with a match.

"Make sure that thing doesn't drop, this house is flammable." I told him. "And she doesn't _hate _you."

"Yes she does" Dustfinger disagreed.

I sighed "Ok she does. You just have to gain her trust back."

"No chance of that." Dustfinger shook his head. "It would be easier if she just read my mind to see that I _am _sorry."

"Jo doesn't work like that" I murmured. "You have to make her do that herself. That's her rule with… most people." I smiled. "Not Kat and I because she kind of already knows us."

"I suppose." Dustfinger shook the match out. "It's pretty up here. There isn't as much civilization. It kind of reminds me of home."

"I'm sorry you haven't found a way back" I murmured.

Dustfinger smiled bitterly. "Only Capricorn has a copy. And I think it would be better off burned."

"Really?" I asked.

"It is the source of all the misfortune that keeps returning over and over again." Dustfinger nodded. "If not for that book, it would have ended for you years ago. When you still had a chance to preserve your innocence."

I stared at the ground "I don't think my innocence was wrecked… so much as Kat's was."

"Why's that?" Dustfinger asked.

"She killed someone." I muttered.

"A black jacket. Flatnose." Dustfinger corrected. "He killed her brother."

"A life is a life no matter whose it is." I shook my head. "And she did not kill for the good of someone else, but for revenge and in bitter rage. You should have seen her face afterwards. She was afraid because she thought that she was becoming like them. Heartless. Soulless. She never wanted that." I bit my lip. "I told her that was stupid. She could never be like them. But ever since, even when she became a cop, she has shot only to wound. She could kill anyone she wanted to with her aim, but she never does. She can't."

"Kat has changed" Dustfinger agreed after a pause. "There's something about her eyes. They aren't as carefree anymore." He looked at me. "But you can't underestimate the things you have seen as well. You have killed also. You wrote the shadow kill Capricorn and his men."

"But I didn't do it for revenge" I shook my head. "If my words were geared for revenge, Basta would have died along with them. I wrote to save the prisoners, the ones in cages. I killed for the good of other people. And it didn't seem as direct. I wasn't the one taking their life directly." I shrugged. "I guess that's why Basta survived. Because at the time, he was also in a cage, a prisoner. I remember how dead he looked that night. I _almost _felt sorry for him. Then again, he brought back the nightmare another time when he met Orpheus. So I hated him again."

"Hmm" Dustfinger answered.

"Speaking of Basta, where did he go?" I asked. "Did you see?"

"Outside probably." Dustfinger crossed his arms. "That dog doesn't like him."

I laughed "Uh… right. I should probably deal with that."

* * *

"How have you been Kat?" Jo asked. "I never ask you when Callypso is around because I know you don't like her to worry."

"…I'm fine" Kat murmured.

"You're a liar."

Kat glared at her "Get out of my head."

"I'm not in your head" Jo said grimly. "I see it written all over your face."

"Ugh, am I that obvious?" Kat asked.

"Only to me Kat" Jo half smiled. "You're good at hiding your emotions to most people. That's not healthy you know. Hiding you emotions suppresses them. You become hollow if that happens."

Kat winced "I just… I blame myself for getting Callypso into this mess. If I had just shot to kill. I could have killed Cockerel and Flatnose and all of them, quickly. I'm a good shot." Her fists clenched on the table. "But I didn't. I let myself get shot. I'm the reason Callypso made a deal with Basta… that bastard… why did he accept! Why?"

"Would you have rather him not?" Jo asked quietly.

"If it meant Callypso would keep fighting, yes!" Kat growled.

"Callypso would have lost any will to fight if you died." Jo said grimly. Kat stared at Jo in disbelief. Jo sighed. "You know it's true. Callypso has lost a lot of the ones she loves over the course of this. I honestly don't think she could take one more. She'd lose herself." Jo took a drink from her mug. "Callypso is strong. She really is. She doesn't know it but she's got guts and strong beliefs. But there's nothing she dreads more than seeing people dragged into what was her problem, and getting hurt because of it. It's her fatal flaw and greatest trait at the same time." Jo brushed a stray hair from her face. "Her loyalty is great. But it is her weakness. She couldn't lose you. You're her best friend. It was because of that desperation she bargained with Basta. Only that loyalty could cause her to make a deal with someone she hates so much."

Kat growled and rubbed a hand over her face "I guess… the black jackets realized that was her weakness didn't they? That's why we're ordered to be shot on spot. If one of us get's hit it will be easy for them to take her." She looked at Jo. "Jo, how can you not hate them?"

"You remember what I once told you don't you? Back in high school? It was in the first weeks we were friends." Jo said.

"No…" Kat shook her head. "Not ringing a bell."

"The hate thing Kat." Jo reminded her. "Do you remember?"

"You said…" Kat began slowly. "That when you first saw us we looked like we couldn't trust anyone. That we resented something… hated it… I guess you knew what it was at the time. We didn't know you could read minds then."

"Right" Jo smiled. "I said that hate does nothing but damage the hater. It destroys them from the inside. It is an endless cycle that continues on. Hate transfers from person to person. The person who you hate hated before you, and that someone they hated also hated. It started somewhere." She sighed. "Refusing to hate stops the cycle."

"Then what about Dustfinger?" Kat asked.

Jo's expression darkened "I don't hate him. I just don't trust him."

"You could have fooled me." Kat crossed her arms. She sighed and rubbed a hand over her face. "I still hate Basta. Even more now."

"Is that because of Callypso?" Jo asked. "Or something else."

Kat stayed silent.

"Do you want me to just read your mind for this one?"Jo asked gently.

Kat nodded "It's all yours."

There was a pause as Jo made her search, her eyes closed.

"Ah…" she said. "I see… still, I think you need to find some way to solve that."

"Whatever" Kat turned away. "When you forgive Dusty I might think about it."

Jo sighed "Fair enough."

* * *

Basta was sitting outside under the kitchen window. I wondered if he had actually been listening the whole time while Kat and I explained things. Fang sat in front of him, growling.

"Fang." I called. "Go chase a squirrel."

Fang obeyed and ran off into the woods.

"I really hate that dog" Basta muttered, glaring after Fang. "That is the one that you created isn't it?"

"Yes" I nodded. "Don't worry, he hates you too."

Basta spoke after a pause "Your friend is interesting in how she chooses her enemies."

"Yes… I can't fathom how she _doesn't _hate you." I agreed.

Basta smirked "I'm sure, princess."

I glared at him "You love to annoy me with those freaking nick names don't you?"

Basta shrugged which was a good enough yes for me.

"I still don't think it would kill you to just use my name." I growled. "It's Callypso, remember? Cal-yp—so."

"Don't get smart _sweetheart" _Basta said, snapping open his knife and cleaning it with the edge of his jacket.

I sighed. He was going to call me those nicknames for the rest of my life.

I heard a happy bark suddenly. I turned around to see Fang with a dead squirrel hanging from his mouth. I smacked a hand to my forehead "Yes Fang. Very good dog."

I thought I heard a snigger. I turned around but Basta had his usual vacant look on his face.

"What are you looking at?" his eyes narrowed.

"Nothing much" I shot back, turning and stalking into the house. "Fang come."

Fang dropped the dead squirrel next to Basta and trotted after me.

I loved this dog.

* * *

**_Callypso: Fang is awesome._**

**_Kat: Indeed._**

**_Fang: BARK!_**

**_Jo: And adorable._**

**_Basta: And annoying._**

**_Callypso: No one likes you._**

**_REVIEW!_**


	13. Chapter 12

**_Read, Review and all that jazz..._**

**_Callypso: There's some more insight into Jo's wierd way of thinking in this chapter_**

**_Kat: ENJOY!_**

It had started to rain.

It rained a lot up near the mountains. Jo was used to it. Callypso and Kat were in the living room with Dustfinger. She didn't much feel like seeing him yet. Basta had to still be outside.

In this weather? He was stubborn.

Jo sighed and put on her hat before stepping out into the rain. Basta was sitting against the house, staring absently at the ground.

"You _can _come inside you know." Jo said after a pause.

Basta turned to look at her, his eye brows raised. He said nothing though. Jo recalled he used to be more of a talker when he had Capricorn's orders at his back.

"If you want I mean" she said.

Basta was silent for a moment before he looked away "You are a strange one, sweetheart."

"Why do you say that?" Jo asked, knowing perfectly well what he meant.

"You do remember who I am don't you?"

"Yes." She nodded. "So?"

Basta sighed in exasperation "Do you happen to remember I kidnapped you and your friends?"

"It wasn't a personal vendetta against me." Jo shrugged. "You would have done the same to anyone else if you were ordered to. You have done nothing to me personally."

Basta shook his head "That is what I mean by strange. Last time I saw you, you were swinging a metal pole at my face."

"Part of the act. I had to look like I hated you all for 'killing' Callypso. It wouldn't look realistic otherwise. And I was protecting Kat. She was distracted… by her brother's death."

"Hmm" Basta made no other reply. There was a long silence. Basta turned to glare at her "You better not be searching my mind, sweetheart."

"Why would I be doing that?" Jo sighed. "I only read the minds of people I have figured out for myself first. I give them that luxury." She stared up at the sky. "Of course even after I thought I knew Callypso and Kat, I read their minds and got more than I bargained for."

Basta still said nothing.

There was another long silence before Jo turned to go back into the house "If you want to come in you can. If you want to sit out here in the rain suit yourself. Don't blame me if you catch something."

Basta didn't answer her. Jo almost wished he _did _talk as much as he used to. She sighed and headed back inside.

He was still stubborn.

* * *

"What's our next move?" I asked when we were all in the kitchen the next morning. Basta had finally come inside. It took him long enough if you ask me.

"You're the one with the friends, not me" Basta shrugged.

"Fair enough" I muttered. "Kat, what do you think?"

"My first idea is William" she said. "We've kept in touch… as annoying and insufferable as he is, he might as well be involved… even though I don't like him of course."

"Uh huh." Jo and I covered up smirks with our hands.

Kat glared at us "Anyway, I know where he lives. It's a town in Tennessee."

"Ok" I nodded. "Where is Capricorn right now? I know it's somewhere in the east."

"New York" Basta answered. "In a more secluded part of the state. There's no better supply of people with special abilities."

"Figures…" I muttered. "The place where bullying people out of their livelihood is most acceptable."

"Then again it has a lot of cops." Kat muttered. "Haven't they done anything?"

"Capricorn's first goal when he moves to any area is to blackmail and gain control over the law" Basta said. "He has them well under his thumb."

"Great, I have some choice words for them when we get there" Kat growled.

"Ok, so William." I said. "And maybe his father. He'll know where he lives." I leaned back in my chair. "What about the others? Bruce and Angela and…" I stopped. "Sorry, I forgot that they're the only others."

"Right" Kat and Jo both looked down.

I had almost forgotten about Hope and Maggie.

"Any others?" I said quickly, changing the subject.

"The only ones I can think of are the Folcharts." Kat sighed. "But they're all the way in Europe. They probably still think everything worked out. It's a nice delusion isn't it?"

"Yeah… I'm jealous of them" I muttered. "Basta how many prisoners does Capricorn have right now that have special abilities?"

"Quite a few" Basta mused. "Last time I was there. That's only the uncooperative ones though. He had plenty who have agreed to work with him as well."

"But springing the prisoners would be a good first act" I murmured. "It could help us."

"It's still a long shot" Dustfinger said. "And also Callypso, they have another writer. Who knows what he's capable of?"

"She" Basta corrected. "The writer is a girl… a very young one at that. She might be around ten."

"Is she cooperative with Capricorn?" I asked.

"Very." He said grimly. "That's the thing about children. It's easy to make them devoted."

I thought about Dustfinger's story _'We were both eleven at the time.'_

"On the plus side she is still trying to figure out her gift. She hasn't figured out her limitations yet. Capricorn is trying to use her sparingly." Basta continued.

"What about Orpheus?" Dustfinger asked. "The reader. Is he still there?"

"Of course" Basta said bitterly, a flash of resentment in his eye. "He's Capricorn's favorite pon. He's also the reason they know you survived sweetheart."

My eyes widened. "What?"

"Yes." Basta nodded. "You changed names and places when you wrote those books of yours didn't you? But you kept the same story. I guess you didn't figure you would be discovered because most of the black jackets don't read and Capricorn doesn't make it a hobby. You didn't factor in Orpheus though. He was bound to come across it with the way he devours books."

"Ah, shit" I muttered. "Stupid Orpheus… I hate that guy. This is my fault isn't it?"

"Yes" Basta said.

"No!" Kat snapped.

"Kind of" Jo sighed.

"Great, just great." I muttered. "Ok, ok, so we have Orpheus and the writer to deal with. Any other cooperative Pons we should know about?"

"Several that can control fire" Basta said. "And a mind reader. But no one else I know of."

"What about the acrobatic freak?" Kat asked. "The night I got shot there was this masked skinny boy who fought me. He was good. He was quick. Do you know who that is?"

Basta thought for a minute before shaking his head "No."

"Too bad, because I hate that boy, whoever he is." Kat growled.

"Kat" I patted her on the shoulder. "You hate _a lot _of people. There's no need to keep a list."

Kat glared at me "Shut up."

"I guess William is our best bet then." Jo stood. "I'll pack. I can bring my car too so things don't get crowded."

"Ok" I nodded.

Basta disappeared immediately from the room, probably to go back out side.

Something told me it was Dustfinger that made him want to avoid the group. Dustfinger made him uncomfortable.

After Dustfinger's story I could see why.

* * *

A question lingered in my mind, regarding two of my old friends in Capricorn's village. Maggie and Hope. It was awhile before I finally asked Basta.

"Do… you remember Hope and Maggie? They were prisoners along with me five years ago."

Basta was silent for a moment before he said "The mind reading woman and her blind daughter correct?"

I nodded "What… what happened to them?"

Basta glanced at me "You already know the answer don't you?"

I closed my eyes and bit my lip "…I guess I did."

We all had known the answer. But we never came out and said it. None of us wanted to believe it.

"Did they suffer?" I whispered. "Tell me they didn't make them suffer."

There was a pause "They were shot through the head, both of them. It was quick. There was no reason to drag it out."

I nodded "Good." I rubbed a hand over my face. "I'm glad… it was quick."

Hope was just a sweet little girl. She was blind. She was helpless. I couldn't believe Capricorn ordered them killed as soon as he found an alternative.

"Why did they have to die?"

"That's the way Capricorn is. You should know. If he doesn't have use for you he cuts you down. Like a dead branch off a tree." Basta said coldly.

Capricorn had no soul it was clear. Capricorn ordered everything that brought about my anger and hatred, the things that killed my family. He was the cause of everything. Yet he just sat there and let his Pons do the work for him.

He would die. He would die, and pay for all the lives he took with his tongue.

* * *

**_Oh yes and in other news... I'm currently working on an alternate ending for this series, and by ending I mean alternate third book. Basically it's what would happen if Callypso's attempt to fake her death didn't work._**

**_Kat: And boy is it the most depressing thing the authoress has ever written_**

**_Indeed. So I want to know if you guys want me to wait till I finish all of this before I start posting chapters to the alternate ending or if you want me to post the alternate ending at the same time._**

**_Callypso: In the mean time: REVIEW!_**


	14. Chapter 13

_**Ok sorry it's been awhile. i was busy with homework and play rehersals.**_

_**Callypso: Yeah, she's in a play that's almost as depressing as this story.**_

_**Kat: No small feat.**_

_**Shut up... REVIEW!**_

The next day, Jo threw her suitcase in the back of her truck, along with a guitar case.

"I didn't know you played guitar" Kat said curiously.

"I don't" Jo said bluntly.

"Uh… then what's the guitar case for?" I asked slowly.

She smiled a knowing smile, "Nothing."

"But-"

"_Nothing._"

"…Yes ma'am."

Kat claimed shotgun in Jo's car and hopped in. "I know the way Jo, I'll instruct you."

"I'll follow you guys in the other car." I said. "I've got my cell phone. Call if something happens."

"Got it." Jo nodded. "By the way, no splitting up. We know what happened last time we did that. We stick together on this one."

"Right" I nodded.

Kat held out a fist, Jo and I stacked ours on top of hers

Hooray for friendship handshake right?

I heard a bark as a blur of black fur launched himself into the bed of Jo's truck.

"Fang" I sighed.

"Let him come" Jo laughed. "He's my furry side kick. Besides, he's a good watch dog."

I smiled "Ok, let's hit the road."

* * *

It's ironic that after everything that could possibly go wrong, it's a stick in the road that delays us by blowing out the tires on Jo's car.

A flat tire? Really? What's wrong with you Fate? You couldn't come up with something more creative? A sniper gun hitting the engine perhaps? A car chase between a smart car and a truck packed with purple spotted pigs? A certain Rooster impersonation?

No? Just the car tires blown out? No bodily injuries whatsoever?

You're losing your touch Fate.

…Why am I talking to Fate? This is worse than talking to walls or inanimate objects.

"How bad?" I asked Jo as I pulled into the gas station and car repair.

"Two tires out" she sighed. "Stupid stick. Kat's bargaining with the repair guy."

"Uh…" I raised an eyebrow. "Define 'bargaining'."

"Your rates are outrageous!" Kat was yelling. "Give me the damn tires and I could change them myself! I don't need a guy like you to help me!"

It's funny when Kat yells at a giant with access to power tools… because you know she could take him out with her fists.

"It's not just the tires sweetheart" the repair giant sighed. "There are some internal issues as well!"

Kat stabbed a finger in the man's face. _"Don't _call me sweetheart. I have to deal with other jack asses incessantly calling me sweetheart; I don't need to add another to the list!"

"Look miss." The guy looked annoyed. "The internal issues-"

"BULL SHIT!" Kat snapped.

I sighed "Yeah, Kat's good at bargaining isn't she?"

"Very" Jo agreed. "Never has a midget seemed so terrifying."

"I HEARD THAT!" Kat bellowed.

"Deal with it, you're in denial" Jo and I said in unison.

"Miss, its late and dark outside. You should probably find some place to stay." The giant repair guy said.

"NEVER!" Kat yelled.

"She's never going give up is she?" I asked.

"I'd say no" Jo shook her head.

I sighed and got out of the car. As I began to walk towards Kat I stopped in my tracks. Across the street I saw some familiar faces coming out of a restraint. Familiar faces garbed in black jackets that probably hid guns.

I seized Kat's arm "Get it done quickly and we'll pay you the money and extra. Thanks for your services." I yanked her away and behind the car. The others had seen the same thing I had and also ducked away from sight.

The repair man stared at us then shook his head "The people I meet in this job." He disappeared into the shop.

"Shit, shit, shit" I hissed. "Now what?"

"We need to hide somewhere" Jo muttered. "I didn't get a good look. Who was there?"

"Cockerel" Basta muttered. "Flatnose and some others whose names I don't care enough to remember."

"Cockerel… I'd like to pay him back from a little chest wound he gave me" Kat hissed.

"We'll do that later" I breathed. "For now we need to find a place to hide."

"Well" Jo said slowly. "There's no better place to hide from someone then in a crowd of people."

I turned to look at where she was looking. A club. A club that people were rapidly bustling in and out of.

"Jo, you're a genius." I said. I crawled over into the repair shop so as to not be seen. "Say, repair guy." The repair man jumped when he saw me on the floor. "How long will this take for you to fix huh?"

"What… how… what are you doing on the floor?" he demanded.

"How long" I repeated. "At your fastest."

"Just for the tires?" He asked. "Half an hour at most."

"Just stick with the tires" I muttered. "That's all we have time for. I'll pay you for your rush." Without another word I scurried out and back to the others.

"He said half an hour at most."

"We can dodge black jackets until then" Kat grinned. "Easily."

"Ok" I said. "Half an hour. Meet back here then."

"What about Fang?" Jo asked.

"Right." I whistled and Fang was at my side in a second.

"Hide." I told him. "Until we're all back by the car. Don't attack anyone with guns."

He thrust his head aganst my hand before trotting off.

"It's creepy that you can order that dog around" Kat speculated.

"Indeed" I agreed.

* * *

I never go to clubs because I don't like them much. It doesn't help when you're dodging dangerous people who want to kill you. It doesn't make me any less tense.

Oh, and thank you Fate, for screwing me over when I criticize you. You can take a critique can you?

…I'm talking to Fate again. I got to stop doing that.

It was crowded in the club. Every second I was expecting a black jacket to pop out.

'_SURPRISE! Off to your execution now!'_

It was weird… I had broken Cockerel's nose when he shot Kat. Now it looked fine. I wonder if that was thanks to their new writer. Probably.

The minutes were dragging by like hours. I had to get out of here soon.

"Callypso."

I turned to see Jo beside me. She grinned "You seriously have got to see this."

We pushed through the crowd that had clustered on the dance floor. They appeared to be watching something. In the center there were people break dancing, twisting around and moving their bodies in impossible ways. There was one boy who seemed to be beating everyone in this face off. Jo and I watched for awhile, letting ourselves be entertained. It was then that someone else stepped into the ring to challenge the champion. That person was a short, black haired girl that we both knew well.

"Oh god" I stared. "She's not…"

"I think she is" Jo muttered.

Kat began to circle the boy, the fiery light of a challenge in her eye. It was taunting and gleeful. Jo and I watched as Kat leapt in the air and came down on her hands. She started spinning gracefully around on just her palms before rolling on her shoulders and then on her head. She was _good_.

"Where did Kat learn to break dance?" I asked slowly.

"Where did she learn to dodge bullets and pick locks?" Jo shrugged.

"Excellent point." I sighed.

Jo cocked her head to the side "Hey Callypso… is that boy familiar to you?"

"I can't tell" I squinted. "It's too dark."

Kat launched herself back to her feet from the ground and slammed her hand against the boys chest. He lost his balance and fell to the ground.

The half drunk audience cheered and clapped. A few whistled and cat called but Kat ignored them. She grinned and held out her hand to the boy "Did you ever think you could beat me Sparky?"

"Sparky?" Jo raised her eyebrows.

"Holy crap" I stared. "Jo that's William!"

William grinned and took the offered hand "Don't be so cocky Kit Kat. I didn't even try to fight back."

Kat pulled him to his feet "Only because you know you'd lose."

"Keep telling yourself that."

"Oh I will."

William turned and saw us as the crowd began to disperse.

"Hey there William." I grinned.

"Good to see you again." He crushed me in a hug. He was strong and he must have grown a foot since I had last seen him. His dark hair was still cut in a messy style and his green eyes were still just as bright.

Jo and William embraced as well before William looked at all of us "What are you guys doing up here? Road trip or something?"

We all grimaced. He just had to ruin the mood.

"Something like that."

His smile faded "It has something to do with Capricorn doesn't it?"

We nodded.

"Ok, cough up an explanation" I crossed his arms.

"You take this one Kat" I said. "Meet back at the car in ten minutes. Don't stay in the same place for too long."

"Got it." She nodded.

She led William through the crowd to find a quieter place.

"Let's split up" I nudged Jo.

"Right," she nodded. "See you in ten minutes."

We split and made my way through the crowd. I was near the edge of the bar when I saw a flash of red hair by the doors on the other side of the room. I froze up. Cockerel was here. They were inside.

A hand wrapped around my wrist and pulled me around the corner. I opened my mouth on impulse to scream but a hand clapped over my mouth.

"It's just me."

This must have been one of the first times I ever felt relieved instead of panicked to hear Basta's voice.

I exhaled as Basta slowly took the hand away from my mouth "What did I say about sneaking up on me?" I hissed.

Basta ignored me "I assume you saw Cockerel?"

"He's hard to miss." I muttered. "With the bright red hair and all… Why does he have hair like that again?"

"I have no idea" Basta said flatly. "The car should be done by now. There's a back way out of here."

"What about the others?" I looked back in the crowd.

"They'll have to take care of themselves. If they see Cockerel, they'll make a break for it too. You should wait by the car" Basta said.

"I can't just leave them" I started to walk back forward but Basta pulled me back again.

"Don't even think about it. You'll get yourself caught. Your really good at doing that." He muttered.

"Yeah and whose usually the one who was catching me?" I asked sourly. "I forget."

Basta smirked slightly which reminded me why I didn't like him "It's not going to do any of your friends any good if you get yourself caught, sweetheart."

I glared at him "And if they get shot?"

"Cockerel may be an idiot but he's not going to shoot anyone in a crowded room like this." Basta said dryly. "Besides, as far as he knows, your short friend is dead and the others aren't involved. He's only looking for you and me right now."

I stared down at the ground in defeat "How the hell does he keep finding me?"

"I don't know" Basta motioned towards the back way out. "We can complain about your bad luck later. Get going."

I shot him a glare but I did what he said. I was obligated to after all.

* * *

**_Basta is such a fun character to write._**

**_Callypso: I hate him._**

**_Kat: Me too._**

**_Since when do I take in to consideration what you think._**

**_Jo: Last time I checked? Never._**

**_Exactly. REVIEW!_**


	15. Chapter 14

**_Sorry It's been awhile. I have no excuse._**

**_Callypso: Just alot of homework basically._**

**_Yeah... You know I think I'm about halfway done with this thing._**

**_Kat: Really?_**

**_Yeah, I was planning on it being about 28 or 30 chapters._**

**_Jo: Wow, so we might actually finish this series?_**

**_Yeah, but then there's also the alternate ending._**

**_Callypso: Oh you mean the really depressing one that makes this one look like a skip through the park?_**

**_Yes, that one._**

**_Kat: I can't wait._**

**_I know._**

**_Jo: REVIEW!_**

William leaned against the wall for support when Kat's explanation concluded. He ran a hand through his hair in frustration "Shit. I can't believe we're caught up in this again… and I more than that I can't believe that Basta… _Basta… _Would ever break away from Capricorn."

"Actually, from the way it sounds I think he was forced out." Kat said dryly.

"Regardless of that, I can't believe Callypso could ever make a deal with_ him." _William sighed. "It was to save your life though I guess. I think Callypso would bargain with the devil and all of his demons to save you."

"Yeah, she can be stupid like that" Kat muttered. "So are you in?"

William gave her a look "Would you really give me a choice if I said no?"

"Of course I wouldn't" Kat said cheerfully. "I would hit you with telekinetically charged pinecones until you agreed to help."

"That's what I thought" William grinned. "Of course I'm in Kitty. I'd like nothing more than to torch Capricorn's village and take a few black jackets with it."

"Good." Kat grinned in return. "And what about your dad? We could use him too."

William's smile faded "I know he would love to help… but my dad is dead."

Kat's eyes widened and she looked away "Oh… I'm sorry…"

"Its fine, you wouldn't know." William waved her apology away.

"How?" Kat asked.

"Cancer" He said simply. "It's funny, after all the crap we went through, it's a tumor that killed him."

"What about your mom?" Kat asked. "Is she…"

"No" He shook his head. "She's alive, but I haven't seen her much. She and my dad divorced when I was young. She took my baby sister and twin brother and my dad took me. I've only seen them on a few occasions."

"What are they like?" Kat asked. "Sorry if I'm asking a lot of questions, but I get curious about people's families."

"My sister was just four when I last saw her." He shrugged. "I guess that was five years ago. My brother… well I think there's something wrong with him. He's one of those kids who like to catch flies and pull of their wings for the pleasure of making them squirm and he was always good at getting inside your head. But most people just love him. I didn't get along to well with him though. We look exactly alike except for he has green eyes."

Kat observed William with interest from where he leant against the wall. He seemed to have grown up quite a bit since their escape. They had both had their once carefree personalities weighed down by strife.

Kat's eyes flicked to where a girl was standing in front of William. She was a pretty woman with long blonde hair and a buzzed expression of a cat stalking a mouse.

"You look down" she said, looking at William with "innocent" eyes that made Kat want to rip her throat out. "Want to dance with me cutie?"

William stared at her "Uh…"

"Actually we don't have time to dance" Kat growled. "Ten minutes is about up Sparky. Let's get going."

The blonde girl frowned "What? You can't take a little competition, shrimp?"

Kat gritted her teeth and tried hard not to strangle the girl. "No, it's just that we're dodging guys with guns and so we don't have time to spend any time with sluts like you. Go get yourself shot."

With that Kat seized William's wrist and dragged him through the crowd towards the back entrance.

William smirked "If I didn't know any better I'd say you were jealous."

"It's a good thing you do know better" Kat growled. "Or I would kill you in your sleep."

William just laughed and shook head. Kat was glad for the dimmed lights. They hid her flushing face.

* * *

There was a back alleyway that lead behind the club and ended at the repair shop. Basta and I took that route so as to stay out of sight. It was dark outside now and almost no one was on the streets.

"I should go ahead and pay the repair man" I said. "So we can get out of here as soon as the others get here."

"Ok." Basta nodded.

The repair man was standing at the entrance to the shop as we arrived. He had a forlorn look on his face like he was day dreaming. So much for him being quick about it.

"Hey, sir, snap out of it, is the car done?" I asked impatiently.

"I'm afraid the man is unable to answer questions anymore sweetheart." The repairman was shoved forward so that he fell to the ground limply, a bloody hole in his back, leaving Cockerel standing in his place.

I heard guns click three times around us. Before I could think of what to do, Basta seized me from behind and held a knife under my chin. I froze, my eyes wide. I had to remind myself that he wasn't going to kill me because the blade was pressing pretty hard to my neck.

Cockerel smirked "Basta, you're surrounded. One of us could shoot you in the back."

"I would recommend against that." Basta hissed, his voice dangerous. "I fall, my knife slips, and this blade is pretty sharp." He pressed the blade to my throat for emphasis. I winced as it barely broke the skin of my neck. The position of the blade forced my head back onto Basta's shoulder.

"How long do you think you can use her as a shield?" Cockerel asked. I could tell by his annoyed expression that he knew Basta was right. "What do you plan on doing?"

"That's none of your concern Cockerel" Basta said, his voice deadly calm.

"I'm not anyone's shield" I hissed, wanting to strangle Cockerel with all my being.

Cockerel cast me a mocking smirk "Really? What do you call what you're doing now?"

I glared at him with all the hate I could muster.

"By the way" Cockerel continued. "How's your friend? The little one."

For a split second I wanted nothing more than to rub it in Cockerel' face that she was alive. But if he still though she was dead, then that took her off the radar and that made her safe. I should keep it that way. I made myself look livid which quite frankly wasn't that hard. I just had to remind myself that _he _was the one who had shot my mom, Kat's parents and who knows how many other people? Plus he had almost killed Kat and gotten me into this mess with Basta in the first place. I had plenty of things to make my anger realistic.

"Don't you dare even _TALK _about her you bastard!" I hissed.

Cockerel's smirk widened and I knew my performance was convincing. He looked back at Basta "Why don't you hand her over Basta?"

"Good idea Cockerel" Basta said, his voice laced with sarcasm. "That way you can shoot me as soon as I do. How stupid do you think I am?"

Cockerel wore a serious expression "Who knows, maybe Capricorn will forgive you if you give us the girl. He really does want to see her execution."

Basta's grip loosened a fraction on me and I stopped breathing. He wouldn't actually do that would he? He wouldn't go back. I wanted to say something but I couldn't without Cockerel knowing we were actually on the same side.

…In the technical sense.

"You'd rather see her die too, wouldn't you?" Cockerel continued, a smirk edging its way back onto his face. "After the misery she's put all of us through."

"You're joking" I stared at Cockerel. "Please tell me you're joking. The misery I've put _you _through? You've got to be fucking kidding me!"

Cockerel gave me an amused glance "The princess has quite a mouth on her doesn't she?"

Basta's grip tightened on me again "You think I'm so stupid to ever think that Capricorn is forgiving after all the years I've worked for him?"

I nearly sighed in relief. Cockerel's mouth twisted into a frown.

"Leave" Basta continued. "Or I will slit her throat."

I never thought I would be so glad to have Basta threatening to kill me.

"You slit her throat and we shoot you." Cockerel growled.

"Yes, but that won't make her any less dead, will it?" Basta asked in a deadly voice. The sharp edge of the blade was cutting into my skin. A drop of blood tracked down my neck

Cockerel cursed and motioned for the other black jackets to lower their guns and leave. Basta kept his hold on me until he saw them get in their black car and exit at the end of the street and out of the town. When they had disappeared Basta released me.

I stumbled before catching myself on the wall of the repair shop. My hand went up to my neck. I was bleeding. The wound stung a bit.

"Did I cut you?" Basta asked.

I nodded shakily "Just a bit, I'm fine." My hand came away and I saw that the wound was bleeding quite a bit.

"Neck wounds bleed a lot, it's not as bad as it looks" Basta said. He disappeared into the repair shop and came back out with a rag. He handed it to me. "Take care of that."

My eyes narrowed suspiciously "Why do you care if I'm bleeding?"

"I don't" he said bluntly. "But if your short friend sees it I'll never hear the end of it."

I sighed, "Good point." I dabbed at the blood with the cloth gingerly, wincing as it touched the cut. I looked down at the repair man. "Why'd they kill him? What did he do?"

"I would try to justify it" Basta said, staring absently at the man. "But I'm pretty sure it was for no other reason than him doing business with you."

I rubbed a hand over my face "People dying because of me even if they don't have a say in it… I hate this."

"I know." Basta said. "And unfortunately, they do too. That's exactly why they killed this man and that's why they'll kill more people."

"Why's that?" I asked.

Basta looked at me seriously "Because they're trying to get to you, sweetheart."

"Yeah, well congratulations to them, its working." I growled.

Basta smirked slightly "Yes, I know that too."

I glared at him but said nothing. I guess it was kind of obvious how to get to me now. You just had to kill innocent people. It was easy to get to me that way.

"Here come the others" Basta said, looking over to where Kat, William, Dustfinger and Jo were emerging from the back alley.

Kat noticed the dead repair guy first and stopped cold "What… what happened?"

"They shot him" I said grimly.

Kat looked from the repair guy and back to me "Are you ok?"

"Just a run in with Cockerel." I muttered.

"So why the hell are we standing around so casually now!" Kat exclaimed.

"They're gone." Basta answered bluntly.

"Oh really?" Kat glared at him. "How'd you manage that exactly?"

"It was easy" I said. "Basta just had to threaten to kill me and they left."

"You _WHAT?" _Kat looked livid.

"You make it sound a whole lot worse than it actually is, sweetheart." Basta sighed, glancing at me.

"Well you did." I said. "I never said you were serious about it."

Kat's eyes flew to the cloth at my neck. "Are you _bleeding_?"

"It's just a scratch" I shrugged.

"You're bleeding _a lot _Callypso!"

"Neck wounds bleed a lot, it's not a big deal."

Kat whirled to glare at Basta again. "You cut her!"

Basta smirked "Well as far as they know, she's my hostage and I had to make it look realistic."

"Oh really!" Kat stalked forward. "What are you going to do next time to make it look realistic? Slit her throat?"

"Of course not. If I did that, I'd be shot."

"Yeah, by ME!"

"I'm pretty sure Cockerel would beat you to the punch, Princess."

"DON'T CALL ME THAT! AND SCREW COCKEREL! I'LL SHOOT HIM TOO!"

William and Jo were watching this situation with amusement.

"Who will kill who first?" Jo wondered aloud.

"I think we should place bets" William suggested.

"SHUT UP!" Kat shouted at them. "I swear to God Basta, if you ever hurt Callypso-"

"It was that scratch or her execution" Basta's face grew dangerous. "Which would you rather?"

"Ok STOP IT!" I snapped. "You!" I pointed at Kat. "Stop over reacting. You two" I pointed at Jo and William. "You aren't helping anything by exchanging bets. You" I pointed at Basta. "For yours and all our sakes, stop antagonizing Kat. You" I pointed at Dustfinger. "You aren't doing anything wrong. Good job Dustfinger. You're my favorite person right now. Now everyone settle up on our little arguments and get in the car so we can get away from the black jackets and this stupid town before I freaking explode! Clear?"

Without waiting for an answer I got into the car and slammed the door after me.

"She should do that more often" I heard William say after a pause.

"Do what?" Jo asked.

"Get fed up with people. She kind of has a right with the situations she get's in." William sighed.

I half smiled to myself. Damn right I did.

* * *

**_You know who my favorite characters to write are?_**

**_Callypso: Who?_**

**_Well I like writing Kat because she's awesome, but seriously like writing Basta and Cockerel._**

**_Kat: That's probably because you like writing psychopaths._**

**_Yeah... It's fun to make Cockerel as much a bastard as possible. Though I've got to say basta is probably one of the hardest characters for me to write right now and keep him in character._**

**_Jo: There's always one of those._**

**_Indeed._**

**_William: REVIEW!_**


	16. Chapter 15

**_Ok so we have the reappearance of some characters in this chapter._**

**_Kat: Take a guess. They're from book 1_**

**_Callypso: Way to give it away._**

**_Jo: I'm pretty sure it was already obvious_**

**_Whatever. REVIEW!_**

According to Basta, the black jacket's car had moved east. Jo suggested we head South.

"There's a town that's a big tourist stop about ten miles from here" she told me over the cell phone. "I think the black jacket's will expect us to go further away. Just follow my car. We need to rest for the night. We're all tired, and quite frankly I think you could use a good shower."

"Thanks Jo" I yawned. "But yeah, I think you're right. Hotels make me paranoid but I wouldn't mind sleeping in a bed."

"Ok, see you when we get there."

"Yeah."

"I still can't believe Basta is on our side" William sighed. "Really… I can't."

"That makes most of us" Kat muttered. "I don't even think Callypso believes it yet."

"Well he's better than he used to be" Jo murmured.

Kat and William stared at her and she shrugged "Oh come on. He doesn't talk nearly as much as he used to, that's something. And in a way, it's because of him that Callypso's still here and not on her way to be killed. Sure it's like he's keeping her hostage but it's better than the alternative." Jo glanced at Kat. "Oh yeah, and he saved your life Kat. Don't forget that."

Kat's faced burned in anger and she glared at the floor "As far as I'm concerned, Callypso saved my life by making that deal."

"Yeah and he could have refused it."

Kat was silent "When you forgive Dusty I'll consider forgiving _him_. Deal?"

Jo sighed and turned her eyes back to the road.

William stared at Jo "Oh, so you hate Dustfinger but you don't hate Basta?"

"I don't _hate _Dustfinger" Jo shrugged. "I just don't trust him."

"Liar." Kat muttered.

Jo didn't reply.

"Guys, I hate to say it, but I don't think it's a good time to start fights between each other when we have to deal with Capricorn." William said.

"You're right" Jo said simply. "Let's not start a fight Kat."

Kat 'hmphed' and looked out her window angrily.

William sighed and decided not to say anything further. Fang whimpered in concern and he pet the dog's head "I know buddy. Girls never stop fighting."

"Shut up" Kat growled.

William laughed.

* * *

We were silent for a moment as we drove before Basta spoke "That boy. What's his name again?"

"You never call anyone by their names" I muttered. "What do you care?"

"Just tell me sweetheart."

"My point exactly" I snapped. "And his name is William. Remember, he was one of the prisoners with me. He controls fire."

Basta's expression was unsettling to me.

"Does he have a brother?"

"Uh… I don't know…" I said. "He's never said. I kind of assumed it was just him and his dad. Why?"

"Never mind." Basta said.

"No seriously, why?" I asked. "You can't just be all cryptic like that and then just drop it."

"It doesn't matter." Basta shook his head.

I didn't want to but I decided to drop it for now. I would ask William later.

* * *

The town we stopped in, Eldritch, was mostly hotels and tourist stops. I think there was an old coal mining site there and somehow that merited tourism. Don't ask me. I think coal mining sounds unbelievably boring. There were a lot of people on road trips who stopped through here and other travelers who couldn't afford air fare to where ever they were going.

Jo paid for the hotel rooms. Even if being a ranger wasn't the highest paying job in the world she still got a stream of money from her parents. I guess they felt guilty for never caring about her when she was younger so now they were trying to make up for it with money.

That whole "kidnapped" thing must've jolted things into perspective for them.

Jo always said she didn't resent her parents but it was no secrets that they were the reason she didn't have real friends until Kat and I came along. She was the surgeon's kid and she was also considered a nerd by most of the class. That and she said she didn't see anybody who was worth getting to know until we showed up. Guess our lives were more interesting than most peoples.

I kind of wanted to get away from the group for a little while so I decided to wander around town. I was on a very intense look out for black jackets the entire time and I steered clear of alleyways. They wouldn't be able to grab me without other people noticing.

I passed by the grocery store and ran head long into someone. They dropped their bag and its contents scattered over the ground.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry." I bent down hurriedly to help pick up the stuff.

"That's ok" a woman's voice said. She had an accent. She must have been a tourist. I remember when I had an accent. It had disappeared over years of living in America. "It was my fault. I should have been paying closer attention."

"I'm sorry anyway" I looked up from picking the rest of the stuff up to see the woman. She was young, maybe a few years younger than me. She was also very familiar. My mouth dropped open. The sheer irony of the situation was all too much.

"M-Meggie?"

Meggie stared at me quizzically for a second. Her eyes trailed to the white line on my cheek and she dropped her bag of groceries all over again. "Callypso!" She hugged me so tightly I thought my lungs would pop. "It's been so long! I haven't seen you since… well you know… I've missed you!"

"Yeah me too." I pulled back and glanced down at the fallen grocery bag. "Great, guess we have to pick that up again."

Meggie laughed. "Don't worry, there were no eggs in the bag."

I couldn't believe that I was seeing my favorite reader in front of me again after nine years. She had to be twenty one now. She was taller and she looked so uncannily like her mom it was almost scary. She was cheerful as always and she still held an innocent look in her eye that I could never hope to have myself.

"It's been nine years." Meggie murmured when we had once again retrieved the contents of her bag. "Can you believe it? I remember it like it was yesterday. The Shadow… everything." She shivered. "I know Basta survived but we never had any trouble with him. Things have been nice for nine years." She smiled at me. "I remember you moved to America just to be safe."

"Uh… yeah…" I muttered.

God, she had _no _idea what she was in for. She had picked the worst possible time to come to America. I decided not to drop the bomb just yet. I didn't want to ruin our reunion.

"So what are you doing here?" I asked.

"We're traveling around America for a month" she said lightly. "This is just a stop. We're used to driving around. Mo and I used to always move around for his work."

"Who's the we?" I asked.

"Everyone! The whole family. Mo, Elinor, mom, Farid… You know Farid came back to join us. He misses Dustfinger and all but he said he wanted to experience a family." Meggie beamed. "They'll be so happy to see you."

"Right" I smiled nervously. _'At least they will until I tell them exactly how over the Inkheart ordeal is.'_

"How's Kat?" Meggie continued as we walked.

"She's fine." I grinned. "She's pretty much the same. Older, a little more mature, but still temperamental as always."

"Callypso!"

Speak of the devil.

I turned to see Kat trotting towards me "There you are. I've been looking for you. I-" Her eyes flicked to Meggie and slowly widened. "Uh… Meggie?"

Meggie grinned "Hi Kat."

"Holy… wow, what an ironic reunion." Kat muttered.

"Kat." I said seriously. "Uh… go to _Jo _and say that we have people for her to meet. Meggie and her whole family are here. I'm going to go catch up with them. We'll meet up with you later."

Kat caught my meaning "Right" she nodded. "See you later then Meggie."

"Ok" Meggie waved, unsuspecting. "Who's Jo?"

"Another friend of ours." I said. "Let's go see your family. It's been awhile. I'd like to see them again."

_Here we go._

**_Next chapter should be fun._**

**_Kat: You're still the reigning queen of cliff hangers._**

**_I am indeed evil._**

**_Callypso: Well no question about that._**

**_Jo: REVIEW!_**


	17. Chapter 16

**_Here's the next chapter!_**

**_Callypso: In which Meggie and company get roped back into Hell!_**

**_Kat: Yep! Along with the rest of us!_**

**_REVIEW!_**

"You'll never believe it." Kat panted as soon as she reached the others. "I swear to god, this is the most freaking amazing coincidence ever."

"What?" William asked. "I'm on the edge of my seat."

"Meggie is here." Kat grinned. "Meggie Folchart and her whole family. Boy did they pick the wrong time to vacation."

"Silver tongue and his daughter are here?" Basta looked interested for once. "Well this will be interesting."

"Don't worry" Kat smirked. "It's been nine years since they've had anything to do with you. Their hate towards you is probably considerably dulled."

"Who's Meggie? I'm lost." William asked.

"We told you the story" Kat said. "Remember? Of how we first got involved with the black jackets?"

"Oh, the reader girl?" William nodded. "Right."

"Callypso's handling the explanation" Kat said. "Quite frankly it may take a few hours."

"Why's that?" Dustfinger asked.

"Because I'm pretty sure Elinor is with them."

Dustfinger gave a long sigh and Basta rubbed a hand over his face. Even Fang's head seem to droop. Kat found this amusing. Even the dog thought she was annoying.

William blinked "Uh… who's Elinor?"

* * *

Meggie and her family were staying in the same hotel as us. I could hear them talking as we came up to the door. Meggie slipped her key in and opened the door.

"I'm back!"

"Did you get the groceries?" I heard a voice that could only be Mo's call.

"Yep." Meggie nodded. "And I brought a guest."

I rounded the corner with Meggie where I saw the whole crowd sitting in the little living area of the hotel room. Elinor with a book in her lap, Farid playing with a box of matches, Mo working on the binding of a book and Resa with her head rested on his shoulder.

They all stared at me, trying to recall where they knew me from. I waved "Uh… Hi guys. Remember the writer?"

"Callypso?" Mo murmured. "Is that you?"

"Yup" I nodded. "It's me."

"Dear lord" Elinor said. "They do grow up quickly don't they? Just like Meggie. You're an adult now. It's been nine years though I suppose. Oh it makes me feel old."

"Good to see you too Elinor" I grinned. Farid smiled at me and I nodded at him in return "Farid." My eyes fell last on Resa. "Hi, you're Meggie's mom right? You two look _a lot _alike."

Resa smiled and nodded "That's right."

My eyes widened "Hold up. When did she get her voice back?"

"About seven years ago." Mo stood. "It's like it just came back out of the book."

'_Yep, and guess what else came out?' _I thought to myself. "That's great. I'm glad."

"Sit down" Meggie told me. "We have a lot to talk about."

'_You have no idea Meggie. You have absolutely no idea.'_

"So how have you been?" Mo asked. "For the last nine years. What have you been doing?"

"Writing" I grinned. "I have the first two books in a series out right now."

"Really?" Meggie grinned. "That's great! I haven't seen them though."

"It's written under an alias." I said.

"And the third book?" she asked.

I sighed "Brain storming is in progress."

'_Otherwise known as: Hell.'_

"You would end up writing a book some day." Elinor sighed. "What is it about?"

"Your own experiences make the best stories." I smiled weakly. "I'll give you one guess as to which experiences I'm referring to."

They all sighed and nodded "Yes, I guess that does make a good story." Mo said.

"Well I don't know about you, but I'm glad that chapter of my life is over. These past nine years have been wonderful for me. My library is almost replenished. I'm glad you shut those villains out with your words Callypso. You and Meggie both."

"Yeah…" I guess now was the best time to drop the bomb if anything. "Guys… I need to talk to you about that. Uh… well…" They were all looking at me curiously. Before I could stop myself it all came tumbling out like bullets from a machine gun.

"Whenever Basta survived nine years ago he ended up getting put in prison but he just happened to meet another reader and Mortola bailed them out and the reader read Capricorn and the others back out of the book because as long as the words are around, so are they and they actually ended up coming to America because there are more people with special abilities here and five years ago Dustfinger showed up and he actually kind of betray me to them again because he forgot that Capricorn lies and he wanted back into the book and me and Kat and my other friend Jo ended up kidnapped and they were going to make me write stuff for them but we faked my death and managed to escape and it was five years until they showed up again about a week ago and Basta actually isn't working with Capricorn anymore for reasons that I don't know and Kat got shot so I had to make a deal to save her life and we're actually working with him now and now we're gathering up our other friends in order to take Capricorn down."

I sucked in a deep breath when I finished. I don't think I had ever uttered such a long sentence without any pauses.

As I suspected, they were all staring at me like I had lobsters crawling out of my ears.

I guess I had dropped a freaking big bomb.

"Feel free to say something" I muttered, staring at the ground.

"Do you mind… saying that a little slower?" Farid asked tentatively.

I laughed once. "Yeah, let me explain that a little bit better."

* * *

"I can't believe" Mo murmured when I had finished my more comprehensive explanation. "That all this time you were still having to deal with this while we were over there and we didn't know anything."

"That's not your fault" I sighed. "It's my bad luck, you know? I have horrible luck."

"I know, but I'm the one who read them out in the first place" Mo shook his head. "If I hadn't…"

"It's not the time to point fingers" I waved his guilt away. "And anyway it was pretty much my fault that Basta survived. I should have been more specific in my writing. Of course at the time I didn't know he was going to be one of the people executed."

"And while we're on the topic of Basta" Mo said. "Is he really-"

"Thus far, yes" I nodded. "He doesn't seem to have the inclination of returning to Capricorn."

"I always hated that man and his knife" Elinor grumbled.

"Don't worry Elinor" I said seriously. "So does everyone else. Except for Jo… Jo doesn't hate anyone… well she kind of hates Dustfinger but she's refusing to admit that right now. She's weird like that."

"It's been awhile since I've seen Dustfinger" Farid's face had turned eager. "I hope he doesn't have any hard feelings about me leaving to stay with Meggie and her family."

"Nah" I shook my head. "He's just fine. Dustfinger doesn't really strike me as someone who holds grudges."

Meggie was staring at her hands "Well, it's obvious what we have to do now right? Its fate we ended up here now. We have to help you." She looked at me. "I'll help you at least. I'm not a coward like I used to be."

"You were never a coward Meggie" I shook my head. "Anyone would be scared by what we had to go through. _I _was scared. I still kind of am."

"Meggie" Mo looked uneasy. "I don't know if _you _should get involved. Farid and I will definitely help. But-"

"Mo" Meggie sighed. "You know I'm an adult now. I'm plenty capable."

"It's not about that" Mo said. "Adult or not, you can still get hurt."

"If Callypso is going to fight, then I am too." Meggie said firmly. I had to admire her courage.

"It's not about that." I shook my head. "I'm the one slated for execution. I _have _to be involved in this. Everyone else who's helping me runs the risk of getting shot on sight. They don't want anyone else alive." I looked down. "A car repair man got shot just because he did business with us. That goes for all of you, not just Meggie. Kat herself got shot. Anyone else can too."

"I'm prepared to take that risk" Mo said. "I read them out. I'll help end them as well."

"And I will help my old friends" Farid nodded. "Especially Dustfinger."

"I'm prepared to risk it too!" Meggie stood. "I read the words to bring the Shadow out! I worked with Callypso on this. I can't just stand by! I'm not twelve years old anymore Mo!"

"And I won't let you leave me behind either" Resa add in. "I won't lose you ever again."

"Resa… Meggie" Mo looked between them desperately. "I don't want either of you hurt."

"And we don't want you hurt" Resa said gently. "You could be shot as easily as us."

"Damn it." Elinor grumbled. "Everyone else is joining in… I'll feel bad if I step out… I have to offer some help. But I just don't think I'll be able to _stand _Basta."

"You don't have to do everything he says Elinor Be grateful" I rolled my eyes. "Are you all sure? You know what I'm asking don't you? You haven't been involved for awhile. You could walk away. I wouldn't hold it against any of you."

"No." Meggie was the first to speak. "I'll work with you again Callypso. Nothing and no one is going to change my mind."

Mo sighed as he looked at his daughter before nodding "The same with me."

"Alright" I grinned. "Thank you… all of you…"

It was good to have friends like these in a time like this.

* * *

"I'm getting tired of Basta using the little writer like a shield" Cockerel growled. "I thought it would be easy to get her once we took out her annoying friend but now we have Basta to deal with and he threatens to kill her as soon as he get's wind of us."

Flatnose grunted in agreement "Yeah, Capricorn's getting impatient."

"They can't have gotten far yet." Cockerel looked at one of the younger men with them. "You find her yet kid?"

"Almost got her." The boy said. "She hasn't gotten far at all. About fifteen miles. And she isn't moving…"

"Let me take care of her" the fourth black jacket said, a twisted smile creeping onto his face. "If I can just get into her mind."

"_I _wouldn't mind, Drake." Cockerel said. "But Capricorn doesn't want to use you yet, _and _he wants her sane for her execution."

Drake sighed "Well… I guess that's a good reason…"

"Found her" the other boy opened his eyes. "Eldritch. She's at the Holiday Inn there."

"Ok, let's move." Cockerel said. "Coming Conner?"

Conner nodded "Yeah."

* * *

**A/N TO MY LOYAL READERS:_ So the other day I was thinking about how I always get my fanfictions finished but never my origional stories... then I was thinking that this had almost turned into an origional story itself with just a few remaining characters from the origional book. Then I thought about how different I really did make it and how if i really tried I could make this into an origional series._**

**_Well some removed, added, seriously re worked and renamed characters, and a major re done plot for book one I have started an origional series that is loosly based off of this one (With Callypso as the main character))._**

**_I've gotten 130 pages into it so far. And the tone, main character and personalities of the characters are all completely different. I guess the only thing I'm worried about is the back story still being a little too similar to Inkheart. Basic summary is this:_**

**_Callypso's father was writing a book about a fictional world called Antion, a place infected with a disease that when met with certain genetics can give the infected special abilities or, gifts. Unfortunately, when he finished the first draft, everything he was satisfied with, the disease and some characters came into reality. Fourteen years later when Callypso is kidnapped by some of these characters she gets caught up in a twisted adventure that is no longer fantasy but very much reality as characters evolve past their written personalities and the disease infects the real world._**

**_Does that summary scream Inkheart to you? Help me out. And give me suggestions cause I'm liking where this is going._**

**_Sorry to rant on you guys there. But if I actually did (And I probably won't) get this thing published I'm sure many of you guys will find it familiar. Thought I'd let you guys know._**

**_Well, REVIEW!_**


	18. Chapter 17

**_So some intense stuff in this chapter._**

**_Callypso: And it ends with a cliff hanger._**

**_Kat: As usual._**

**_Jo: Stick around after the chapter for some news on the origional story_**

**_Meggie: REVIEW!_**

When everyone else went to get something to eat at a local restraint Meggie stayed behind with me, saying she wasn't hungry. I guess she really just wanted to talk with me more.

"Does it scare you?" She asked. "Being wanted for execution?"

"Incredibly." I nodded.

"You don't show it." She sighed. "You never have. Nine years ago, when we were being held together, you always seemed like the brave one. I wasn't as scared with you. You could stand up to Basta. I never could. He terrified me."

"Really?" I absently pushed a strand of hair behind my ear. "Because I was always scared stiff. Especially of Basta. He was the face I always pictured coming out of the shadows and pulling me back into that nightmare, years afterwards. Honestly, I'm still kind of scared of him, even now. I just try to hide it." I glanced at her. "I never was that strong, Meggie or brave."

"I thought you were back then." She shrugged. "So about Basta. He really did save Kat?"

"Yeah… I think Kat kind of hates him for that." I shrugged. "You remember I told you guys Kat's back ground with the black jackets. I think she hates that he did something good. She would rather keep her view black and white. That's just Kat." I sighed. "As for me, I can't believe he would ever accept that deal. I was desperate when I asked. But… I'm glad he did… I don't know what I would do without Kat."

"It's hard for me to picture" she murmured. "I was always scared of him the most. Even more than Capricorn, sitting in his chair all day. He just ordered the black jackets around. I despise him the most, but I don't fear him as much as Basta or even Cockerel."

"Yeah, Cockerel currently takes the cake for person I want to kill the most." I growled. "I'd love to ring his neck."

It was refreshing that Meggie no longer flinched when I made death threats.

"I can understand why." She murmured.

"Being in a hotel makes me jumpy" I stood and went over to the window. "If someone was to come in here I wouldn't have anywhere to run. It just makes me want to explode."

We were two floors up from the ground and the window over looked the square. There weren't a lot of people out. My eyes flicked to where a boy in a black jacket stood by the door of the hotel. He yawned and stretched and I saw the gun beneath his black jacket. I almost felt my heart stop.

"No…" I murmured. "There's no way…"

"Callypso?" Meggie asked.

"Meggie we have to go. Hurry" I turned to run… and ran straight into Cockerel.

"Go?" He smirked down at me. "No, stay here sweetheart."

I tried to back up but he gripped my arms and pulled me back "Don't be so hasty. We'll be off to your execution soon, don't worry."

I looked behind him at where Meggie was sitting on the bed, her face stricken with terror. Flatnose was the only other one in the room and he was pointing a shotgun at her, his broad body, blocking our only exit.

This is exactly the reason why I hate staying in hotels while I'm on the run.

"Let me go" I struggled but Cockerel's grip tightened painfully on my arms.

"Stop struggling little writer." He swiftly drew his gun from his belt and pointed it behind him at Meggie.

I froze "Don't you dare. Don't you fucking dare."

"You do have a mouth on you don't you princess?" Cockerel sighed. "It'll get you into trouble one day." He threw me with surprising force towards Flatnose who restrained me simply by putting his huge hands on my shoulders. Cockerel then looked at Meggie.

'_Please don't recognize her" _I prayed desperately. _'Please don't let him recognize her.'_

My prayers were crushed as a smirk spread over Cockerel's face "Well if it isn't little Miss Silvertongue all grown up. Fancy seeing you here."

Meggie was pale as a sheet. She was trying to hide how afraid she was but it wasn't working. I wasn't even trying to mask my terror. He would shoot her. Cockerel would shoot Meggie. What was I supposed to do?

Cockerel shifted his gun from hand to hand as he moved towards Meggie at a deliberately slow pace. Meggie finally seemed to snap out of it and try to run but Cockerel seized her arm and pinned her against the wall, holding the gun very close to her face.

"_Don't _make a sound little reader" he growled. "And don't think about struggling either. You're only options are the window or going through Flatnose so it's pointless for you to try."

Meggie swallowed "L-Let go of me."

Cockerel just shook his head and looked at me "You keep on pulling other people into this don't you? You should know by now little writer" he clicked the gun. "That it doesn't end well for them."

"W-wait" I said, a tremor of panic entering my voice. "Leave her alone. She hasn't done anything wrong."

"I disagree" Cockerel smirked. "She was the one who read the Shadow out to kill us that night nine years ago."

"I was the one who wrote the words" I whispered. "It wasn't her. She just did what Capricorn told her to do."

"Yes, but she did work with you" Cockerel smiled a pitiless smile. "And it doesn't really matter what she did. I'm still going to kill her. And you're going to watch."

Meggie opened her mouth, probably to scream but Cockerel pushed the barrel of the gun past her lips forcing her silent.

"Stop" I started struggling hard against Flatnose's grip. Meggie couldn't die. Not now. This couldn't happen. "Damn it Cockerel! LEAVE HER ALONE!"

"You can't stop me" Cockerel said, not taking his eyes away from Meggie's fear filled eyes.

"No but I can."

Flatnose yelled out in pain and his grip loosened on me. The next thing I knew a knife flew across the room and embedded itself in Cockerel's shoulder. He hissed in pain and stumbled away, releasing Meggie who slid to the ground, shaking.

It is yet again that I never thought I would be so glad to hear Basta's voice.

I managed to pull away from Flatnose as his hands moved from my shoulders to clutch his wounded side. Basta was standing in the center of the room and quickly drawing another knife from his belt when Cockerel began to raise his gun.

"Move that gun another inch and next time I'll aim for your throat." Basta growled.

Cockerel cocked his head to the side "You have inconvenient timing, you know that?"

Basta smirked "Others would think the opposite."

Cockerel sighed "What are you going to do Basta? Kill me? You know that I can be easily read back out of the book."

"I know" Basta nodded. "It would be pointless. But it would inconvenience you. So I just might."

Cockerel made a growling noise in his throat before twisting the gun behind him and firing at the window. It shattered and he jumped, landing fifteen feet below in the bushes. Flatnose followed him quicker than I thought a giant was capable of moving.

Basta sighed and lowered his knife "Too bad."

"If anyone's killing Cockerel, it's going to be me." I muttered.

"You can worry about that when the time comes" Basta's eyes moved to Meggie. He recognized her almost immediately. "Your name is Meggie isn't it?"

Meggie swallowed and nodded in greeting, "B-Basta."

"Hold up" I glared at Basta. "Why do you call _her _by her name and not me?"

"To be perfectly honest, I like aggravating you _sweetheart_." Basta smirked at me.

"Bastard" I hissed under my breath.

"Watch it princess" Basta turned the knife once or twice in his hand in a subtle threat that still maintained some of its venom.

I rolled my eyes and hurried over to Meggie, helping her to her feet "Are you ok?"

"Yeah I'm fine" she smiled weakly. "Just a little shell shocked. I'm not hurt or anything." She looked over my shoulder at Basta. "Um… thank you…"

He just shrugged.

Something tells me he hasn't been thanked a whole lot in his life until recently. Unless it was sarcastically of course.

I heard a series of footsteps running down the hall and I tensed. A moment later Mo and Farid burst through the door.

"We saw Cockerel." Mo panted. "Are you-" he stopped immediately when he saw Basta.

"Don't worry they're gone." Basta said, slipping his knife back into his pocket. He turned to look at Mo. "Hello Silvertongue. It's been a long time."

"Basta" Mo murmured. "Yes… it has been." He looked toward Meggie and me. Both of us still looked pale. "Are you ok?"

I nodded "I'm fine."

Meggie smiled "Yeah, don't worry."

Mo eyed his daughter worriedly but didn't ask her anything further. Farid was looking at Basta much like he would look at a snake, worried he might strike out at any moment.

"What happened?" Mo asked. "Cockerel was here wasn't he?"

"Nothing serious" Meggie said quickly, too quickly to be telling the truth. "I'm alright."

Basta glanced at Meggie "You're still a bad liar I see."

Meggie flushed and looked down.

"What happened?" Mo turned his question on Basta.

"I just know your daughter was about to be shot when I came in." Basta said. "I don't know exactly what happened."

Mo's eyes widened as he looked at Meggie "You what? Cockerel was about to shoot you?"

"I'm fine." Meggie insisted.

"I don't consider that fine." Mo said sharply.

"I told you both, you all run the risk of getting shot if you team up with me" I looked between them. "You'd be smarter if you left and forgot you saw me."

"And I said I'm not going to leave" Mo said. "But Meggie-"

"We aren't having this discussion again Mo!" Meggie interrupted.

"Hey!" Kat's voice rang out from the hallway. "If you people want to stop arguing I have a surprise for everyone!"

She entered the room, dragging someone behind her by the collar. She tossed him on the floor in the center of the floor, in the middle of the rest of us. He was wearing a black jacket. I had seen him standing guard outside the hotel.

"What's this Kat?" I asked.

"I found the reason they've been finding us!" she sang with a smirk. "And boy do we have a lot to talk about don't we _Conner_."

Conner looked up at me. He looked very familiar now that I looked at him.

"H-hi Callypso" he muttered. "Long time no see."

* * *

**_Ooh!_**

**_Callypso: I don't even think they remember who Conner is._**

**_Kat: Cyber cookies to whoever does._**

**_Jo: Without checking back through the first two books might I add._**

**_Right. And now some news on that origional story I told you guys about!_**

**ORIGIONAL STORY NEWS: I'm going to give you guys updates on how my story is coming along and maybe ask for some feedback etc. Feel free to ask me questions as well. **

**You know what I love about origional fiction? I don't have to be confined to previous character guide lines. I'm able to take the character that Basta has been changed to way further as far as development and he's actually almost nothing like Basta any more besides his thing about knives. His name is Roten. I think he's my favorite right now. **

**As for other parellels I guess you could say Dustfinger's is Jack but Jack has more of a sense of humor and has also become generally different. And he doesn't have the same motivations or anything. his gift is controlling fire though so there's where that similarity comes in. Callypso is mostly the same but less obnoxious like she was in the first book (She was. I'll admit it) and Kat hasn't come too much into the story yet because she doesn't in the first book until half way through.**

**Cockerel's parallel is Crow. Crow has some serious anger management issues. I don't really have to worry about copying to much with his character since Cockerel was a pretty basic thug in Inkheart. Crow is bordeline psychotic. And of course Capricorn's parallel. I love his name... wait for it... wait for it... Kronehelm. Funny story. I got this name from my dad. It's the last name of one of his co workers. Yeah. he has a co worker whose name is Gar Kronehelm. How epic is that? Kronehelm is different as in he actually _does _crap. And I'm thinking he's got a demonic entity in his head with him. Mortola has no parralel. Neither does Elinor, Resa or Farid.**

**Nickolas and Molly are a father daughter pair but Nickolas can draw things to life and Molly is a mute ten year old who later finds out she can read minds like her dead mother (Who is actually dead) They're from the book Callypso's father wrote. The only other character worth mentioning is William who is actually in this first book and he has changed dramatically. He is now a reckless teenager with a brooklyn accent who follows Jack around because he can also control fire. He isn't from Callypso's father's book. he just caught the disease from it. And he has a brooklyn acent which is awesome. I'm thinking of pairing him with Callypso instead of Kat just because Callypso needs some kind of romance.**

**I am 112 pages typed into this book which is more like 224 pages in a normal novel. This is the farthest I've ever gotten into a typed origional story and I am hyped.**

**I look forward to your feed back on this chapter and behind the scenes story info.**


	19. Chapter 18

**_Ok, so read, review..._**

**_Callypso: And stay tuned for more origional book news!_**

**_Kat: ENJOY!_**

I know this guy don't I?" I looked at Kat.

She smirked "Why yes, don't you remember the thorn in your side in middle school?"

I stared blankly at her for a moment before my eyes widened and I whirled back to look at the boy. "No way… no friggen way… you're _that _Conner. Holy crap!"

"I know." Kat nodded. "I must say it was very entertaining to hit him with no repercussions from any authority figures."

"Who is this exactly?" Basta asked.

"Well you see" I explained. "Before I had actual enemies that actually threatened my life, this was my worst enemy in school. I hate school bullies. He teased me because…" I thought for a second before looking at Kat. "I forgot, why did he tease me again?"

"I seem to recall it was because you were always reading and writing and because you had that scar on your face." Kat said.

"Ah yes" I beamed and shot a glare at Basta. "So you see, you are partially responsible for him annoying me near to death. Thank you _so _much for that."

"It was no trouble" Basta smirked.

I sighed and looked back at Conner "Ok, now to the real questions. Number 1: Why the hell are _you _a black jacket and number two: Why are you reason they keep finding us?"

"Well…" Conner sat up. "I can sort of track people if I know their face." He sighed. "But if it's any consolation, I didn't exactly know that it was you we were chasing Callypso. Not until Kat hit me over the head with a pine cone."

"Where do you keep finding those things?" I asked.

She shrugged.

I looked back at Conner "And really? You didn't know I was the writer? How many people do you know name Callypso?"

"Well I didn't know the writer's name was Callypso!" Conner insisted. "Really, I didn't!... Though come to think of it I guess that explains why you went missing in the middle of eight grade."

"Oh yeah, that was just boatloads of fun." I said through a forced smile. "And you never heard my name?"

"They never use your name" Conner shrugged. "They just call you 'the writer' and… other things I'm not going to repeat."

"It's true" Basta mused. "No one ever uses your name."

I smacked a hand to my forehead "Why would you care if it was me or not me Conner? You hated me."

"Well yeah, but that doesn't mean I want you dead!" Conner insisted. "School grudges don't extend that far. I mean did you really ever want me dead?"

"I did" Kat said helpfully.

"You don't count." Conner glared at her.

Kat whacked him over the head again. She has a nasty habit of doing that.

"No." I said slowly. "I never really wanted you dead." I glared at him. "But why are you with the black jackets? You were a school bully! That's the extent of your cruelty. You aren't the guy who sets fire to houses or anything."

"Well they kidnapped me first." He said. "And I ended up agreeing to work with them after awhile."

"Why?"

"Because I was afraid." Conner murmured. "That's why most of the people that are kidnapped for their abilities cooperate. They're afraid of the others and of Capricorn. We aren't all brave you know. Maybe you were but not me. We cave in because we're afraid or they have something they can use against us… well except for the mind reader. He welcomed the job with open arms. That's mostly because he's a psychopath."

"Huh, I bet him and Cockerel get along _really _well." I muttered.

"Yeah… they kind of do" Conner admitted.

I sighed and rubbed a hand over my face. "This is really weird." I turned to Mo and Farid. "Hey do you think you guys could watch him for a second? I need to talk with them." I nodded towards Kat and Basta.

"So what do we do?" Kat asked when we were in the hall. "He's the reason they keep finding us."

"Yeah and if we keep him here too long they'll try and kill him because they don't want him helping us." I muttered. "And as much as I'd like to _hit _the guy, I certainly don't want him shot."

"So what? You're suggesting we let him go?" Kat asked.

"I don't know." I growled, rubbing my temples.

"As noble of you that would be" Basta sneered. "That only increases your chances of being kidnapped. At this point it isn't a risk you should take."

"I said I don't know!" I snapped. "I don't know what to do! What do you suggest? That we _kill _him?"

"I have a solution to this argument."

I jumped as Jo suddenly appeared beside me. "What the crap!"

"How long have you been here?" Kat asked.

"A minute." Jo shrugged. "From what I've heard-"

"You mean gleaned from my mind in the past few seconds?" I muttered.

"Yes, same thing." She nodded. "His power works by knowing a person's face. But the knowledge of their face allows him to make a thin connection with your mind, at least enough to see where you are. Are you following this?"

I nodded.

"Ok." She said. "I've been experimenting a lot with my powers lately, since I heard that there was another mind reader. This mind reader is obviously a psychopath and that means you don't want him in your head. It would be hard to keep out a mind reader at close range but with a power that is as weak as Conner's I can set up a block around your mind and slow them down. It will be harder for him to track you that way. See what I mean?"

I nodded slowly "And you think that will work?"

"Well enough for us to keep one step ahead of them" Jo said.

"That way it won't be his fault." I murmured. "He'll be trying but he won't be able to find me quickly enough. And they won't know why!" I grinned at Jo. "Thank you for your freaky mind powers."

Jo smiled "No problem."

I hurried back into the room "Ok Conner, we're letting you go."

"Why?" he asked in surprise.

"Reasons you don't need to know if you want to increase your chances of living" Kat said brightly.

Conner swallowed "You let me go, I'll have to track you."

"We can handle that." I smirked. "Go, before they get suspicious."

Conner stood, staring at the ground "Thank you…"

"Oh and one more thing." Kat said brightly. She smacked him over the head again. Conner stumbled back into a wall.

"Ow…" he muttered.

Kat cackled "I _love _doing that."

"Hey sweetheart." Basta said from behind me. "I hope you know there's still a chance they'll kill him."

My stomach tightened "I know… then again, that's a risk everyone who so much as talks to me has to take, isn't it?"

Basta didn't answer. He didn't need to. We were both aware of that.

Everyone was aware of that.

* * *

**_And now a word from me!_**

**Original Book News: So it's done. No really. I finished it. You know how I said I had 112 pages the last time I updated? Well I now have 230 pages. Which is like 460 pages. And I'm done. I have no shut it away in a folder that says DO NOT OPEN, where it will remain for a couple months before I begin the editing process. But you still get some bonus info about the characters!**

**There are a few original characters to speak of that have no parallels what so ever. One of these is Jake. He is a nervous wreck and kind of a wimp with little to no sense of humor and he is about Callypso's age. He is also one of the villains. But he is a nicer villain. And he's actually the only person Roten is somewhat nice to. I am horrible to this character. I think he has the worst life of any of my other characters. Roten might give him a run for his money in the later books but Jake is pretty sad.**

**Then there is Ebony. Ebony is a shape shifter who can turn into a black cat. She is not all there in the head. She's really crazy and really zany and even though she's about twelve she speaks with the child like innocence akin to a six year old. I love her to death. She's adorable.**

**There is also Nathanial, Callypso's uncle. Nathanial doesn't have any gifts and he smokes alot but he's still awesome. I enjoy his character.**

**The story finished with 33 chapters plus a prologue and epilogue with 230 pages and about 87, 000 words. I will be editing it when school gets out but for now I'm giving it time to collect dust.**

**Thanks for reading and review the chapter and the behind the scene information!**


	20. Chapter 19

**_I love this story right now. I really do. And I can't wait to start posting up the alternate ending when all is said and done._**

**_Callypso: Because she wants to make you all cry._**

**_Kat: She's evil like that._**

**_Also, FYI, when I do post the alternate ending it's probably going to be rated M because large ammounts of blood and language. No sexual content just alot of dark, dark psychological stuff, blood and quite a lot of bad mouths. Sexual content isn't something I'd be good at. If I ever wrote it, it would be implied. But anyways..._**

**_This is a largely character development chapter! REVIEW!_**

It was an interesting process getting everyone acquainted. First we had to introduce the Folcharts to our other friends we picked up along the way. Then we had to make sure no one was thinking about killing Basta when his back was turned (Except for Kat, because I don't think we can get rid of that mind set of hers.) Then we had to think of where to go next.

One problem remained in taking on a fortress of black jackets and Capricorn. They were good with weapons… a lot of us weren't.

Jo could fence and shoot a rifle and Kat was great with guns and of course Basta could fight. Dustfinger, Farid and William knew how to fight pretty well themselves. Even Fang could fight. I'm glad I wrote that dog. He was just so useful. In the case of me however, and the Folcharts, we weren't very good at fighting.

I had never had to fight that much. When I made the black jackets disappear with my pen nine years ago, I only had to dodge Cockerel for about two minutes before Kat broke his nose and in the fight five years ago, I was only standing about five minutes before I had to play dead. I wasn't a fighter.

Meggie wasn't a fighter either. The only deadly object she had ever handled was a kitchen knife when she made food. When I last met her, she cringed at the thought of killing anybody and she hated herself for wanting Capricorn and his men dead. She was past that phase but she needed help. Mo was a book binder, Resa had been a maid and Elinor was an old woman who probably wouldn't be involved in the fighting anyway. None of them were experienced with fighting.

At least I wasn't the only one.

We left Eldritch the next day and headed to a more secluded area where no one would be suspicious of guns going off every five seconds. There were a lot of woods around here, and we found an abandon cabin where we decided to stay for a few days before moving on. Even with Jo's promise of protection over my mind, there was still a chance that Conner would eventually be able to break through the barrier and find me.

It was amazing to me that Conner and I had completely forgotten our previous grudges. It had been years of course. I remembered a time when _he _was my biggest problem. I really wish that were still true. It was easier in those days. It was easier when you could use words instead of guns to fight, and when you could avoid your worst enemies simply by going home. It was easier when they weren't hell bent on following you everywhere you went, trying to kill everyone you cared about, and kidnap you.

When I was a kid I remember complaining about how we always had to move. I complained that it wasn't fair. I never got any close friends because of that. We finally stayed some place for two whole years and Kat became my friend.

Then I found out exactly why we were always moving.

Why did I take that blissful period of my life for granted? Why couldn't I ever have it back?

I barely noticed Dustfinger sit down next to me.

"Day dreaming, Callypso?" he asked.

I snapped out of my thoughts and smiled slightly "Yeah… just reminiscing."

"I know the feeling" he murmured. "Thinking of better times?"

"Almost always." I turned my eyes to where Kat was trying to teach Meggie how to shoot a gun, while Fang looked on as if he were actually trying to figure out how the weapon worked. "I'm kind of wish I hadn't run into Meggie. They could have gone one living their lives."

"Yes…" Dustfinger shrugged. "Then again, we all played a part in the Callypso. Just as you did. We were all caught up in it from the beginning. Silvertongue read Capricorn, Basta and me out of the book in the first place. It's only fair that we all finish it with you."

"Maybe." I looked a wrong. "Where'd Basta go anyway?"

"Off on his own again probably." Dustfinger shrugged.

"Yeah, he doesn't like being around other people does he?" I sighed, standing.

"I don't think he ever has" Dustfinger said. "Not even when I met him all that time ago. He's always been like that I guess."

I nodded "I'll be right back."

As I passed by Kat she trotted over to me "Where are you going?"

"Basta disappeared again. It kind of bugs me." I sighed. "How's it coming along with Meggie?"

Kat grinned "Well she can actually hit a tree now… it's not always a tree that she's aiming for but still."

"It's a start" I shrugged.

"Yeah, she's picking it up much better than you." Kat smirked. "You couldn't shoot someone unless you were at point blank range… and even then I'm sure you'd find a way to miss."

"Thanks Kat." I rolled my eyes. "Keep working with her. I want her to be able to defend herself."

"Right."

* * *

"I can't get through." Conner murmured, confusion coloring his voice. "I can't find her… something is blocking me."

"Why would that happen?" Cockerel growled. "You've been able to it every time before!"

"I know but I can't…" he closed his eyes. "There's something different. Something is blocking me."

"Damn it." Cockerel cursed. "We can't let them get too far ahead!"

"What would be different?" Flatnose asked. "Nothing has changed."

"Do they have a mind reader with them?" A fourth boy asked suddenly.

"What are you talking about, Drake?" Cockerel asked.

Drake stood "Well, if the mind reader happened to find out about his gifts, they could be offering the writer some form of protection."

"Hey" Flatnose said. "Wasn't one of the writer's friends a mind reader?"

"Yes, but that doesn't make sense. When would she have had time to get involved?" Cockerel growled.

Drake suddenly started to laugh. The other three black jackets stared at him like was mentally unstable. After a moment Drake grinned "I think we're being played. Basta isn't holding Callypso hostage at all. He's _helping _her. They're on the same freaking side. He just knows that threatening to kill her slows us down." Drake shook his head. "Smart. Really clever of him."

"Why would Basta do that?" Cockerel said. "He hates the girl. And for that matter she hates him. What could make them ever cooperate together?"

"A mutual enemy?" Drake shrugged. "It happens."

Cockerel growled and glared at Conner "Keep looking!"

Conner nodded "Y-yeah."

* * *

I figured Basta wouldn't be too far away from the cabin. He usually stayed close but just out of sight. As I walked through the woods I heard a dull sound of something hitting a tree.

I peered through the trees and saw Basta pulling one of his knives from the trunk of an oak. He stepped back and threw again, hitting the exact same mark.

After a few minutes he stopped and sighed "What is it, sweetheart?"

I glared daggers at the back of his head. "Nothing at all… I was just walking around and I saw you."

"Right." He sat down on a tree stump and began absently cleaning his knife on his shirt.

"How can you do that?" I blurted, suddenly.

He looked at me "Do what?"

"Hit the same mark every time! I've never seen you miss." I said.

He smirked "I aim and throw… simple as that."

"Oh well if that's all." I growled.

"That's the only answer I can give you. There's no trick or secret to it. You aim and you throw. After you do it enough, you actually start hitting your mark." He stood. "It's like any other thing. It takes practice."

"Oh." I said. "Do you ever use a gun? Instead of knives?"

"Not usually. Only if I need to, and I don't often need to." Basta said. "Though guns are easier to learn to use, they never sat well with me. There were never guns in my old world."

"Right." I was silent for a moment. "Can I ask a question?"

"You just did." He said bluntly. "Ask if you want."

"Well, I know Dustfinger hates this world and that Capricorn embraces it." I said. "What about you?"

Basta sighed "Both worlds have their advantages and disadvantages. But things were simpler in my old world. Easier." He threw another knife at a tree trunk. It stuck right in a knot at the center.

"It's a times like these I wish I had an ounce of skill when it comes to combat" I sighed, observing the knife. "But I've never really had to fight. I just stayed out of the way or played dead during major fights. But now… well, all I can do is write."

Basta pulled his blade from the tree "Maybe you should try using that ability."

"It's limited" I shrugged.

"Well you've put it to good use before haven't you?" Basta sat down, studying me. "Nine years ago. You killed with it."

My brow furrowed "No… not quite. I just… I manipulated the shadow, and he made them disappear. I didn't kill them. If I did…" I looked at him. "You know I considered writing you dead when you lived and escaped."

"Oh really" Basta seemed only mildly interested. "And why didn't you, sweetheart?"

"Because, writing works by taking away the writers energy in exchange for the tasks they ask. If I were to try and just write someone dead, it would take so much energy from me… I would die too. So I can't just write all of Capricorn and the others dead. If I could…"

"You wouldn't." Basta said.

My eyes widened. "What?"

A small smirk crept over Basta's face. "You don't have it in you to take a life, princess."

"What makes you so sure?" I snapped, standing. "If I had to-"

"I really don't think you would." Basta interrupted me again. I stared at him and he sighed "You hate Cockerel don't you sweetheart?"

"Like you _need _to ask" I growled.

"But if you were given a gun and had the opportunity to shoot him would you?" Basta asked.

"I…" I couldn't believe this. "Of course I would!"

"You hesitated."

"No I didn't!"

"Right" Basta rolled his eyes. "I don't think you would. Which is a problem of course because Cockerel wouldn't hesitate to shoot you. In fact he'd like nothing more."

"I…" I couldn't think of what to say. I would shoot Cockerel if I had the chance. Wouldn't I? "You don't know that I wouldn't."

"Prove me wrong then." Basta stood. "Then I'll believe it." He sighed and closed his eyes. "Oh and by the way, we're being watched."

"What?" I said. "You couldn't have mentioned that before?"

"No, don't worry, it's not Cockerel or the others." Basta turned and looked towards a clump of bushes.

"Stay away!" a voice said from within the brush. "I have a knife. I'll use it." It was the voice of a child.

"Hey, who are you?" I asked. I took a step forward.

"I said don't come any closer!" the child's voice said again.

"I'm not going to hurt you." I said.

"I'm not worried about you." The kid said. "I'm worried about him."

I sighed and glanced at Basta "He's not going to hurt you either. Are you?"

"Probably not."

"You're real helpful."

"Thanks sweetheart."

Slowly someone rose from the bushes. It was a girl. She looked about eleven years old with blonde hair pulled back in a braid, and suspicious blue eyes. In her hand was a kitchen knife, but it was clear that she didn't know how to use it.

"What's your name?" I asked.

"Hannah" the girl said. "My name is Hannah." She shot a glance at Basta. "What's _he _doing here?"

"You two know each other?" I asked.

"She was a prisoner in Capricorn's village." Basta said. "I'm not sure how she managed to escape."

"Well I did!" Hannah said loudly. Her voice shook. "And I'm not going back."

"Kid, I don't want to go anywhere near that village." I said. "My name is Callypso."

"Callypso?" Hannah lowered her knife slightly. "It's you. You're the other writer. Right?"

"Yeah" I nodded.

"I'm really glad to meet you" Hannah stepped from the bushes. "I've wanted to."

"Uh… thanks…" I said slowly. "So what can you do kid? Why is it that Capricorn got you?"

"Because" Hannah said. "I can see alternative paths."

"Huh?" I stared.

"I can see how things would have been different had different choices been made." She said. "If events had never happened. I can see all of the possibilities that were missed."

I blinked "Wow. That's pretty awesome, kid."

Hannah flushed.

"Were you followed here?" Basta asked.

She shook her head, still looking at him reproachfully, like she was sure his not attacking her was all just a trick. "Uh uh. I wasn't. I'm the only one."

"Ok," I said. "Let's go back to the others."

* * *

**_Meet Hannah everyone! Because we needed some adorableness in this series ever since everyone grew up to adults!_**

**_Kat: She provides the cute factor._**

**_Callypso: Which Kat could never supply._**

**_Jo: Nope._**

**_Kat: Shutup!_**

**_REVIEW!_**


	21. Chapter 20

**_Ok, sorry it's been awhile. I was kind of stalling. Go me._**

**_Callypso: Nothing new._**

**_Kat: And in other news, check out Kallypso's poll on her profile and predict the two characters you think are going to die_**

**_Jo: REVIEW!_**

'_If this is a devils village' _Lana thought to herself as she took a long drag from her cigarette. _'Then the devil sure seems keen on hiring a hell of a lot of idiots.'_

The sound of incessant cat calls met her ears as a group of black jackets drew near to her. She lowered a hand to the hilt of one of her knives.

"Hey red head. What are you doing out today?" The black jacket at the lead sneered. His name was Hatchet as she remembered. It was a stupid name.

"Pretending I'm not in Hell, what are you doing?" Lana glanced at him.

"What did I tell you boys" Hatchet smirked. "This cat has claws." His friends sniggered.

"If I'm a cat, what does that make you?" Lana asked. "An ugly rat I guess."

"You really want to get smart sweetheart?" Hatchet fingered his gun.

Lana sighed and snuffed out her cigarette on the crate she sat on. Then she stood. "You know the thing about cats, Hatchet." She swept aside her jacket with a flick of her wrist, and seized a knife. In a split second the blade was level with Hatchet's throat. "They _eat _rats."

"Why you-" Hatchet moved to pull out his gun, only to grab air. He stared dumbly as Lana held up his gun and tossed it behind her.

"Nope. Don't bring guns to a knife fight boys."

Hatchet growled "You're not worth my time."

Lana watched the group go. "What a shame" she sighed, sheathing her knife.

"Fighting again sweetheart? Capricorn won't be pleased."

Lana's jaw tightened at the voice. "What the hell do you want Cockerel?"

Cockerel smirked. His face was illuminated by fire as he lit a cigarette. "Maybe I just came to say hello."

"Yeah, and I'm a fairy." Lana growled. "Just tell me what the fuck you want."

"Watch that mouth, princess" Cockerel warned. "Well our tracker finally managed to break through to find the writer. But we're going for a different approach this time around."

"Fascinating. What does that have to do with me?" Lana asked.

"You remember Basta, don't you princess?"

Lana nodded. Of course she remembered Basta.

"Kill him."

"You're kidding" Lana blinked.

"He's a thorn in our side. The sooner he dies the better." Cockerel said.

Lana smirked "What, you can't kill him yourself?"

Cockerel frowned "I'm at a disadvantage with him, unfortunately. Don't get smart sweetheart." Cockerel took a drag from his cigarette. "Besides if you say no, you know what happens to your family."

Lana's jaw tightened and she nodded "So where are they?"

Cockerel snickered "I knew you'd see reason."

* * *

Kat sighed and let her head fall back against the trunk of a tree. She felt so restless. Every snap in the woods made her jump. Just nerves. But didn't she have a good reason for getting jumpy?

A branch snapped and she whirled around, gun at the ready.

"Geez, Kit Kat, lower the gun!" William held up his hands. "You're a little paranoid, you know that?"

"I'm aware." Kat growled. She lowered the gun. "Don't sneak up on me like that alright?"

"I'll give you more notice next time" William promised.

Kat sat down on a long and rubbed a hand over her face "William… have you ever killed someone?"

William thought for a minute. "I don't think so. I've injured quite a few black jackets, but I don't think I killed anyone. Why do you ask?"

"No reason." Kat shrugged.

"Not likely." William sat down beside her. "What's bugging you Kat?"

"It's just…" Kat paused. "It's just that I could have avoided this whole mess. I had the gun on Cockerel. I had a clear shot. I could've killed him as soon as I saw him. I'm a good shot. I rarely miss." She looked down. "But I couldn't. I hesitated. That's what almost got me killed. And if I hadn't gotten shot then we wouldn't have to work with Basta. Callypso wouldn't have made a deal with him."

"That's what's bugging you?" William asked. "You think this is your fault."

"Yeah." Kat nodded.

William sighed "Look, Kat…"

* * *

I found myself somehow sitting by Hannah at our camp. She still looked pretty wary of everyone but she had calmed down considerably. She smiled when I joined her.

"Hi Callypso!"

"Hi." I said lamely.

"Thanks for letting me stay here with everyone" Hannah said. "I'm getting along well with Meggie. And I like Jo too. I'm glad that so many people want to oppose Capricorn."

"But it's not enough" I murmured.

"Maybe, but it still makes me happy." Hannah said.

"You're cheerful." I noticed.

"Should I not be?" Hannah blinked her wide eyes at me.

"I don't know, I recall being held prisoner for a long period of time not being a pick me up for me." I shrugged. "I would be feeling pissed right now."

"I'm just glad I'm free." Hannah said. "I'm angry, sure. But being out in the open… it's great. I'm just generally a happy person, no matter what."

"Yeah" I nodded."Hey kid."

"Yes?" Hannah asked.

"I was wondering... Could you try that gift of yours on me?"

* * *

"I get how you feel about killing, Kat" William said. "You killed Flatnose and you got scared that you would kill again. I get that. The reason you couldn't pull the trigger on Cockerel is because you're so caught up in the past. You're afraid."

"I'm not afraid!" Kat snapped. "…Ok, maybe a little, but not really!"

"And besides, Callypso's deal with Basta wasn't your fault. It was Callypso's decision." William shrugged. "And Flatnose is alive again anyway, so it's like it never happened."

"But I'm afraid I'll lose control again" Kat said. "I don't… I don't want to lose myself. I want to kill all of them. But I don't want to lose myself."

"Are you sure?" Hannah studied me.

"Yeah, why not?" I shrugged.

"It's just that." Hannah looked at the ground. "You might not like what you see."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well," Hannah said slowly. "Sometimes… what you have now is just kind of meant to be. Your life is meant to be the way it is right now. If you look at an alternative path, it might be worse. Or it might be better and you'll obsess over it when you can never have it. You have to be mentally prepared."

"I… I will be" I said. "Show me. I've always wondered what my life would be like, if Capricorn and his men were never read out of Inkheart. If they never existed in this world. I want to know."

Hannah looked at me for a long time before she nodded "Alright" and placed a hand on my forehead.

* * *

"Why am I doing this?" Lana murmured as she walked. "I'm tired of being used as a puppet like this. But what can I do?"

They would kill her family if she didn't do what they said. She was like their silent guardian. She never even got to see them. Not once. But she had to keep them alive.

All of them. Her brother, her parents, her little sister. They all had to be protected. That was the only reason she didn't stop right now, and kill herself for being used by Capricorn like she was. The only thing.

She envied Basta for leaving. Cutting his losses and getting out. He was lucky even if he thought otherwise. It didn't matter where you were in the ranks. If you were under Capricorn, you were still a puppet.

"I don't really want to kill him." Lana stared up at the sky. "I don't even think I can. And if I die, so does my family. Bastards." She lit a cigarette. "It's going to be a nice night. A nice night to live or die."

* * *

First all I saw was black. Then images began popping up. They were all foggy. Like old pictures in a dusty old album you found in an attic. I saw my mother, a man and a younger version of myself. I looked about five.

"_You would have had a father and a mother" _I heard Hannah's voice echoing over the images. _"Because your father wouldn't have been killed. You wouldn't have had to move around to avoid Capricorn in his men. You would have been able to make friends. Lots of friends. Actually you were quite popular."_

I saw the faces of a lot of girls. Girls I didn't know. But they looked friendly enough. They looked nice.

"_But you would have never moved to the town where Kat lived." _Hannah continued. _"You never would have met Kat, or Jo. You wouldn't even know they existed."_

My gut twisted. I could imagine life not knowing Kat. My personal body guard and best friend.

The images were all happy thought. All nice. Nothing remotely bad was happening to me. I was happy, my mom was happy and my dad was there. I had only seen my dad's face in the pictures. It was nice to see him in real time. Moving. Alive.

The images suddenly paused just about the time I became fourteen. Like they were hesitating.

"_Then what?" _I found myself asking. _"Keep going, come on!"_

"_Callypso" _Hannah's voice sounded sad.

"_Show me!" _I yelled. _"I want to know what happens!"_

More images rushed through my head. An image of me in the car with the girls that would have been my friends. The car was speeding down the road, way too fast. In front of us were train tracks. There was a train coming.

_"Slow down."_ The girl that was me said.

_"I'm driving, don't worry,"_ the girl at the wheel said.

She started to slow down, just in front of the tracks. She would have been fine. If the car hadn't slammed into us from behind. We spun out of control, right onto the train tracks just as the train hitaid.

And everything just went black.

"_I'm sorry" _Hannah said. _"I'm sorry Callypso."_

* * *

"The past doesn't matter Kat" William sighed. "You can't change it now. Callypso made a deal with Basta. You can't think about what would have happened if you had pulled the trigger. And you can't think about what you might have been if you hadn't shot Flatnose. You are who you are now. Right now, you are the only thing you can be. There's no changing it." William grinned. "Just be happy with what you've got."

"What I've got?" Kat smiled bitterly. "On the run, fighting for my life?"

"You have friends" William pointed out. "And hey, you're alive."

* * *

I stared at my shaking hands "So if this hadn't happened." I murmured. "If I hadn't been kidnapped by Basta. If they had never existed. I wouldn't exist either?"

"You would have died at the age of fourteen" Hannah murmured. "I'm sorry."

"So in a way…" I muttered. "You're saying that the man who ruined my life… turned it into a hell hole. Also saved it?"

"Yeah" Hannah nodded. "What man are you talking about?"

I looked behind me and saw Basta leaning against a tree, cleaning a knife on his shirt. So if he hadn't existed I would be dead. I wouldn't have a life.

"God…" I muttered. "Why?"

"I told you." Hannah murmured. "It's not good to dwell on the past. It's better to just be happy with what you have."

"Yeah…" I stood. "Thank you… Hannah."

"Huh?" Hannah stared.

"You've really cleared my head" I smiled. "Thanks."

I started towards Basta "Hey can I talk to you?"

Basta started to answer when he paused. His eyes narrowed and he looked towards the edge of the clearing.

"Who's there?" I tensed automatically. "Cockerel."

"No" Basta shook his head and drew a knife.

"What's going on?" I jumped as Kat came up beside me, followed by William.

"I don't know." I shook my head.

Then I heard the footsteps and saw the shadow coming out of the trees.

* * *

**_Cliff hanger!_**

**_Callypso: But are you really surprised?_**

**_Kat: REVIEW!_**


	22. Chapter 21

**_Sorry for the delay I'm in my last week of school! I'll be able to update more during the Summer. ENJOY!_**

"That's…" Kat's eyes narrowed, "That's the masked acrobatic freak. That boy I fought the night I got shot!"

I observed the figure. He was masked and garbed in a black jacket, just like everyone else I hated. He was surprisingly thin for a boy, too

"Boy?" the figure asked, in a not so masculine voice. The shadow pulled the mask away. Red hair fell to the figure's shoulders. It wasn't a boy. It was a woman. A beautiful woman. "No, I'm not a boy."

"There are… _female_ Black Jackets?" I raised an eyebrow.

"No." The woman shook her head. "I'm the only one."

"I applaud you for breaking the sexism barrier, but who are you?" I asked.

"My name is Lana," the woman said. She glanced at Kat. "Hey, didn't you get shot?"

"Yeah. I'm a ghost," Kat growled, stepping in front of me. "Woo-ooh…"

Lana raised an eyebrow. "Very convincing performance."

"Thanks, I thought so." Kat smirked. She swung up her pistol to point at Lana. "Would you like to be shot too? Or would you like to leave?"

"I can't do that," Lana murmured.

"Wrong answer." Kat fired her gun. But Lana didn't move. The bullet just barely grazed her cheek, causing a shallow cut in her skin, but she didn't flinch.

"You missed." She smirked.

Kat made a growling noise in her throat and started to take a step forward but Jo put her arm out to stop her.

"What do you want?" she asked, being the only sensible one of us.

"You're a mind reader aren't you?" Lana asked, "Try using it."

"I'm more considerate than that." Jo smiled, unfazed by Lana's sarcasm.

Lana sighed, "Don't worry, I'm not here for the writer, or you two."

"Then why _are_ you here?" I asked.

Lana sighed and drew a knife from her belt, observing it absently. "You see, Callypso, I don't have any gift. Not like all of you special people. But I still got dragged into all this. You want to know why?" I didn't answer but she continued anyway. "I was in the wrong place at the wrong time, right after Capricorn lost a huge chunk of talented people after a certain event that led to your escape," she explained. "So even though I didn't have a gift, they took me anyway because I could fight better than most of them. So I guess you could say it's your fault."

"So what? Did I make you cooperative?" I asked. "I just escaped. I have nothing to do with you being enlisted."

"Cooperative? You think that was really my choice either?" Lana smirk was melting into more of a sneer. "It's never a choice when the other option is the slaughter of your family."

I flinched because hey, she had a point. But I still didn't see why she was blaming me for this. I wanted to get out of that hell hole as much as anyone.

"But I'm not here to kill you," Lana said. "You're supposed to be executed. Really, I've been sent to make your capture a little easier. By killing someone who's apparently caused a lot of problems by just grabbing you."

"So they sent you to kill me, did they?"

I whirled around to see Basta smirking. He was cleaning the blade of one knife.

"That's about right, yeah." Her eyes narrowed. "I don't have a choice. They'll kill my family if I don't. That's how they work. You know that."

"Yes, I do," Basta said.

Lana drew both of her knives. "Fair fight. Blade on blade. No one else gets involved."

Basta sighed, "Alright then." He glanced at me. "I would stay back."

"Wait, you're accepting?" I stared. "What the hell? If you get killed-"

"You have such little faith in me." Basta said. "Stay back, sweetheart."

"We'll do that." Kat grabbed my arm and pulled me towards the edge of the clearing where the others already stood. "I think he's going to die," she muttered under her breath. "I've fought that chick. She's fast. Really fast. You saw."

"Yeah, it was pretty insane," I nodded. I remembered that Kat had a hard time keeping up with her at that time. And Kat was Kat. She was hard to beat. "God, what is he thinking?"

"I don't know." Kat shrugged. "Thank God I don't care."

"We can't do anything about it?" Meggie asked, wide-eyed.

"Nope, I think Basta's gone insane." I muttered.

Lana flipped two knives in her hands as she stood opposite Basta. "No hard feelings right?"

Basta closed his eyes. "None at all."

There was only a split second of silence before Lana shot forward. The knife blade soared past Basta's face as he side stepped the attack and swung his knife towards the back of her head. She blocked it and flipped backwards before using a tree trunk to propel herself back towards him.

"OK…," Kat said slowly. "So Basta's pretty fast. But I think she's holding back."

"Really?" I asked.

"Well, she moved faster fighting me," Kat said.

Basta and Lana moved towards each other. Basta once again, barely dodged her attack, so narrowly that her blade cut his sleeve and his shoulder. They paused for a moment, facing away from each other.

"So why are you holding back?" Basta asked.

"Because you are too, aren't you?" Lana asked softly.

There was silence as they just stood there.

"Fight me with everything you've got, then I won't hold back," Lana said.

"Oh really?" Basta's smirk widened. It reminded me of the man I used to be so deathly afraid of. Basta spun around and shot forward with speed I had never seen him use before. The next moment he was standing on the other side of Lana, knife extended forward. Lana winced and her hand went up to clutch her shoulder where Basta's knife had made a mark. "That's payback for the little cut you gave me." He turned. "You still want to test your luck, sweetheart?"

Lana laughed. "That's more like it."

The fight that ensued was intense and incredible from the side lines.It was during the course of struggling to keep my eyes on the metallic blurs that were their weapons that I realized that I had actually never seen Basta fight before. Threaten people? Yes. Throw knives? Yeah, a lot. But fight? No. The one huge fight I had witnessed I hadn't actually witnessed because I was playing dead at the time.

But Kat and Jo had apparently had their own encounters with him during that fight, so they didn't seem nearly as surprised.

"I forgot how fast he actually is," Jo said.

"Yeah, isn't that annoying?" Kat growled. I remembered she had been fighting Basta when Tyler was shot. And Kat is freaking fast. So I guess the fact that Basta was even alive was proof that he could fight.

Again they stopped in the middle of the fight, standing about a yard apart, facing each other.

"You've gotten better, haven't you?" Basta asked her.

"I've had a lot of idiots to practice on back at the village," Lana said, brushing her hair from her face. "Let's wrap this up quickly."

"Fine." Basta stabbed forward and Lana twisted around him. They spun, back to back for just a moment before Lana's knife flew around headed straight towards his neck.

Then everything stopped. Everything was suddenly at normal speed again and, after seeing that fight, it was more like watching slow-motion. I hadn't seen Basta bring his knife up. And I hadn't seen Lana drop hers. But now I saw Basta's knife was lodged in her chest. She coughed up blood and fell backwards onto the ground.

Basta stared down at her, something that looked like regret playing briefly across his face. "You had me and you knew it," he said, surprising me. "So why did you stop?"

"I realized something," Lana murmured, staring up at the sky. "My family has been dead for a long time now." At Basta's silence, Lana sighed. "I'm right aren't I?"

"Yes."

"Well then," Lana's mouth quirked. "I can't protect them anymore. Guess my job is done." She spit up blood again. "That was… a fun fight, by the way."

Basta just nodded.

Lana's eyes glazed over as she looked up at the stars. "It's a nice night… a nice night to die." Her chest stopped moving and her eyes slid closed.

Basta bent down and pulled his knife from Lana's chest. He straightened and looked at me where I was just staring at him. "You forget that many of us don't have gifts, sweetheart. And those of us without them find another way to compensate. Like her." He nodded towards the dead girl on the ground. "And like me."

"Did you have to kill her?" Kat growled from beside me. She was usually the last person to criticize a killing because of the regular amount of death threats she handed out, but she had changed when it came to her views on actual death.

"Yes, I did," Basta said bluntly. "There was no way around it. She was sent to kill me and she wouldn't have stopped until one of us had a knife in our heart." He looked up at the sky. "Though I think she might have already known her family was dead when the fight started. In which case it was all an elaborate suicide. It was what she wanted."

Kat didn't reply as Basta strode towards the edge of the clearing and sat down against the wall of the cabin, far away from the light of the fire.

Kat approached Lana's body. "Should we… bury her or something? I don't want to leave her lying here. It feels wrong."

"Yeah," William nodded. "Dustfinger, Farid, can you guys give me a hand?"

They both nodded and went to move Lana's body.

"Callypso?" Mo's voice made me jump. "Are you OK?"

"I'm fine," I nodded. "Just… I'm fine. I was just thinking."

Thinking about why it was that Basta was enlisted to join Capricorn. I understood Lana. She was a good fighter and Capricorn needed others with powers. She followed him to save her family. Her motives were clear.

But Basta's weren't. Actually, his motives had never quite been clear to me. Because he didn't enjoy killing as much as Flatnose or Cockerel. Maybe I was wondering why the hell he stayed for so long.

Before I hadn't wanted to understand any of the Black Jackets. I wanted them to just be bad guys. Just be villains. But now that I have to work with the man who ruined my life (and as I had found out from Hannah, possibly saved it), I did want to understand. But Basta was as closed off as a twenty foot cement wall.

"That was scary," Hannah murmured from beside me.

"A little bit." I admitted. "You OK, kid?"

"Yep, I'm fine." Hannah nodded.

"Good."

I wasn't. This was way too much to swallow in one night. First my supposed other life, and then Basta's fight.

I was positive I wouldn't be getting any sleep that night.

* * *

"It's been twenty-four hours and she's not back," Cockerel sighed. "Which must mean she's dead. What a pity."

"It's for the best." Capricorn fingered the cuff of his sleeve. "She would have figured out that her family was dead eventually, and then she would just be a hazard. Unfortunately, she was no fool." He eyed Cockerel. "Fortunately, even if Basta is still alive, you know their location now."

"Yeah, that's true." Cockerel nodded.

"I'm getting tired of delays and setbacks, Cockerel," Capricorn said. Despite his passive face, there was no mistaking the threat in his voice. "Don't come back to the village without the writer. Understand?"

Cockerel bowed his head "Yes, sir."

**_Thanks to PinkPigeon for Beta reading this chapter!_**

**_REVIEW!_**


	23. Chapter 22

**_Enjoy! Sorry for the wait I was editing my original story finally! Stay tuned after for some news and questions I have to put to you guys about the similarities in the book._**

**_REVIEW!_**

We left our location the next day and moved to another spot in the woods several miles away. Jo scrounged up another cabin for us (she knew this turf well I guess. She did a lot of camping all around the Wyoming and Colorado areas, so she knew where a lot of abandon places were. No one rented during this time of year so a few picked locks (on Kat's part) later, we had a place to stay.

I kind of think we were putting off the actual confrontation with Capricorn, trying to get as much information about the Black Jackets and his set-up as possible. The more we found out, the more the odds seemed to not be in our favor.

Kat, besides training Meggie to shoot a gun (she was actually starting to hit her targets half the time. Bonus) also spent a lot of time fighting William. He could fight alright, and he was light on his feet but he wasn't as good as her. Not even his break dancing skills could rival hers.

Why can Kat break dance again?

Whatever. Anyway, they were spending a lot more time together than they used to, and though they were arguing half the time, Jo and I would often walk by them and exchange knowing glances. Then, at Kat's expense, we bet on who would crack first and admit they liked the other.

Jo's money was on William, mine was on Kat. We were betting a whole dollar because that was all we really had on us at the moment.

Food wise, Elinor was the one who kept us filled. She couldn't fight and she said she didn't plan to. So she drove the car into town and got plenty of food for us to eat. It was helpful to say the least.

Jo had taken it upon herself to handle Mo and Resa's weapon skills. They weren't quite built for hand-to-hand combat, so she was trying to teach them how to shoot a rifle. It was coming along, at least.

I wasn't trying to learn how to fight. I knew a few basic things that Kat had taught me during our peaceful lives, just in case something like this happened. But they were all self defense moves. I was trying to improve my own special method of attack. My writing.

Elinor had gotten me large pad of paper during one of her grocery store trips, and a set of pencils. I was testing my ability to see just exactly what I could do.

I knew I could transport myself large distances, alter scenarios, and create things. I knew that warping took up a lot of energy, and scenarios had the potential to do the same. Creating things was the easiest.

"Hmm…" I tapped my pencil against the paper. "I wonder if… I might as well try it…"

I set my pencil to paper and began to write:

_A new power swept over the writer. The power identical to that of her friend who could move objects without touching them. Her energy would deplete when she used it, so she utilized the gift only when necessary._

I set down the pencil and sighed, feeling exhaustion come over me. That hopefully meant it worked, but I wouldn't try to use it yet. I wasn't sure how much energy it would take, and I wanted to be at my strongest.

"Hey Callypso." I looked up to see Jo standing in the doorway, a small smirk on her face. "You've got to see this."

* * *

Kat generally enjoyed fighting with William, even though his snide comments and nicknames annoyed her beyond belief. But then again, arguing with William could be fun, too. Because it wasn't like any of their arguments had any real cruelty behind it. Usually, it was just to kill time and their boredom.

Sometimes, to shake things up, they would argue and fight at the same time.

"You seem to be a little off today, Kit Kat," William chided, punching his fist forward towards her head. She ducked out of the way easily and rolled to the side, coming up in a crouch.

"Well if I am, I still seem to easily be able to beat you." She smirked before shooting forward and aiming a kick at his legs.

He jumped over her foot and danced back a few feet. "That's debatable. Maybe I'm not even trying."

"Yeah right, Sparky." Kat aimed a fist for his stomach, but he blocked her fist with his forearm and kicked his leg at her shin. She jumped back out of the way, landing neatly on one knee. "Only in your dreams."

"I'm hurt. You don't have much confidence in me," William grinned, pacing in front of her for a moment as if he were stalking her.

"You've never beaten me before," Kat reminded him.

"There's a first time for everything," William shrugged.

"Quit stalling and try to hit me, idiot," Kat rolled her eyes.

"Alright." William shot forward with surprising speed, jabbing out at Kat several times in succession. She dodged all of them, backing up until her way was blocked by a tree.

Realizing her position, Kat lashed out at his face but he caught her wrist and twisted down so he had it pinned against the tree. Before she could lash out at him with the other fist, he grabbed that one too, pinning it above her head.

"Hey, I win!" He grinned down at her. "Wow, guess it was a first time."

"You suck," Kat muttered, glaring up at him.

William stared down at her a moment in silence, an odd look on his face. It looked like a mix between confusion and something else that Kat couldn't quite put her finger on.

"Are you going to let me go?" Kat asked.

"I…" William's face had moved a lot closer to hers. She felt goose bumps rise on her skin as she felt his breath on her face and neck. Her heart was pounding against her chest. "There's something… I've wanted to do for a while now."

"What are you-" she started, but she was suddenly cut off as William pressed his lips to hers.

Her eyes widened. William was kissing her? Why? They were just friends, right? Actually, they were more like frenemies. So, why was he kissing her?

And why did she enjoy it?

William broke away briefly and stared right into her eyes. There was a brief silence that was filled only by Kat's shaky breathing before William sighed. "Sorry…"

"D-don't be," Kat muttered, feeling her face heat up.

William's mouth quirked at this reassurance and he brought his lips back to hers.

It lasted longer this time. Almost subconsciously, Kat felt herself slipping into the kiss, her eyes closing. It was gentle but firm, and Kat's mind couldn't reason quite properly with the feeling of his soft lips on hers. His hands came away from her wrists and moved up to cup her face, pulling her deeper into the kiss.

Kat could have broken away from him now, with her hands free, but she found them hanging limply by her sides, useless.

When he finally broke away, he stepped back away from her, releasing her face. "I… think I've always liked you."

"Why's that?" Kat asked, staring at the ground.

"You were different from anyone I'd met before," William said slowly. "And I liked that. Even though you were aggravating sometimes."

"And you could be aggravating too," Kat said. "But I… never really hated you for it. It was fun to argue with you."

That's when Kat heard the rustling and whispering in the bushes.

"I called it. You owe me a dollar, Callypso."

"Damn it."

"Jo… Callypso…" Kat said slowly through gritted teeth. "You have ten seconds to run for your lives before I kill both of you, slowly and painfully."

"Crap!" There was a mad scramble and rustling of the bushes.

"One… _ten_!" Kat charged off after her so called friends, ignoring William's sniggering behind her.

* * *

There are a few things that should be avoided if you want to live.

1. Black Jackets with guns;

2. Land mines;

3. Kat on a demonic rampage from hell.

The third one is especially dangerous. Because Kat on a rampage is much worse than any other wild animal on a rampage. Give me a stampeding herd of elephants, but keep Kat away from me.

I could hear my friend in close pursuit behind me, so I did the first thing I could do to give myself the advantage. I scrambled up the first tree I saw. At the time, Basta was sitting near it, cleaning his knife. He looked at me and raised an eyebrow in question. "What are you doing, sweetheart?"

"If Kat comes by, you didn't see me," I said, tucking myself away in the branches, hoping the leaves would camouflage me.

Moments later Kat came into sight looking pissed as hell. "_Where is she?_"

"Who?" Basta asked, going back to cleaning his knife.

"The writer girl with the scar on her face!" Kat snapped.

"Right up there." He pointed up to the tree, not even taking his eyes off his knife.

"Traitor!" I called down.

"You!" Kat glared up at me, her eyes looking more blood-red than black right now. Maybe that was just my imagination, though. "You are so dead."

"Kat, calm down. Deep breaths," I said nervously. "We only bet one dollar, all right?"

"You bet a dollar! On _what?_"

"Come on Kat it was obvious it would happen eventually," I sighed.

"I'm going to kill you."

"May I ask what is going on?" Basta asked.

"William kissed Kat!" I called down before Kat could tell him to mind his own business.

Kat whipped her glare back to me. "If you weren't dead before, you are _dead now!_"

Then something strange happened. I heard someone laughing. And the only other one in vicinity was Basta. Both Kat and I looked at him in shock as we saw that he _was_ laughing. Actually… _laughing_.

"Uh… is something wrong with him?" I asked slowly. "He's… smiling… and laughing."

"I don't know," Kat said slowly. "But there's definitely something wrong with this situation."

Basta's laughing slowed and he smirked at Kat. "I just find it hilarious that this happened just now."

"What…?" Kat growled.

"It was a little obvious that he liked you sweetheart. I'm surprised you didn't see that." Basta went back to cleaning his knife though he was still grinning.

"Forget Callypso, I'm killing you!" Kat snapped, lunging at him. Basta rolled neatly out of the way and stood up.

"Are you now?" he asked.

"Alright, enough with the fighting. Just admit it Kat, you like William and he likes you." I grinned down.

"_Screw both of you!_"

Fun fact: You know that your feelings for another person are obvious when Basta thinks they are.

* * *

**_This was a fun chapter to write. Thanks to Pink Pigeon again for beta reading._**

**Original Story: So I finally re read my story and I've done my first edit through. Now I start letting a few people read it and give me feed back. My brother is my first authority, followed by my other family members.**

**I have to say I've really liked how this turned out. It evolved _alot _from when it was a fanfiction, mainly because I have more characters, they're all mine and I write alot better now than I did then. There are a few things I'm worried about though as far as similarities go.**

**1) Jack, the character that orgionated off of Dustfinger, controls fire. I just get the feeling that's noticeable even though the rest of his character is different. Same with Roten and the knife**

**2) The general idea of writing things to life is similar to reading things to life. Its different in rules and everything but a few people when I've mentioned it have said "Like in Inkheart?" That worries me a little.**

**3) The characters that do have specific inspiration: Roten to Basta, Jack to Dustfinger, Kronehelm to Capricorn (And actually that's it. None of my other characters connect with anyone) I'm afraid people might notice them if they pick on the writing things to life bit.**

**Your thoughts on these?**

_**REVIEW!**_


	24. Chapter 23

_**Long story short I basically got into writing book 2 of my original story and neglected this work. But it's ok because this is a good chapter! it has lots of good Basta stuff in it! And it's kind of intense at the end.**_

_**Callypso: Stay tuned for original book news!**_

_**Kat: And REVIEW!**_

I did eventually get down from the tree when Jo decided to be a diplomat and resolve Kat's anger. William said that the spectacle had been exceedingly amusing. It had taken quite awhile to get Kat to calm down completely and it was eventually William who managed to make her let me down.

He didn't seem nearly as embarrassed as she was.

Dustfinger found this turn of events amusing as well, as did most of the others but to avoid being assaulted by Kat and a barrage of pinecones, they dropped it pretty quickly.

One night, while reading over some of the words I wrote, Kat sat down next to me at the table and peered over my shoulder. "Writing?"

I covered the paper with my arms. "Don't read over my shoulder."

"Don't be paranoid." She countered. She sat down across from me. "Hey, about that girl, Lana…"

"What about her?" I asked.

"I've kind of been thinking a little about her and why she dropped the knife." Kat shrugged.

"Too commit suicide." I said slowly. "Because she knew her family was dead and she wanted to die."

"But she could have killed Basta." Kat pointed out. "She had him. I saw. But then she just stopped and dropped the knife? Why not kill him and _then _kill herself. You see what I mean?"

"I guess." I said. "She might know him from when he was still under Capricorn… but I would think that would just make her hate him more."

"Yeah, I would too." Kat nodded. "I know it made _me _hate him."

"Kat you hated him as soon as you heard his name."

"Yeah, I know."

We were silent for a long time. Kat sighed and drummed her fingers on the table restlessly. I looked up from my words again. "Anything else on your mind?"

"Jo and I had an argument earlier."

I stared. "Jo argues?"

"Yeah." Kat nodded. "She keeps on going on about me forgiving Basta. But I've told her a million times I only will when she forgives Dustfinger. But she keeps on insisting she doesn't hate Dustfinger, she only distrusts him which we all know is a lie." She sighed deeply again. "It annoys me. I don't see any reason for me to forgive Basta, so I won't."

I resisted the urge to say _'What about the ginormous issue of him saving your life? Does that constitute as a reason for forgiving him?' _I didn't have the heart to correct Kat at the moment. Instead I just shrugged.

"You'll work it out Kat." I stood. "I think I'll get some fresh air."

"Don't wander off!" Kat called after me.

"I'll stay in sight of the camp." I promised.

* * *

For some reason, whenever I go out for fresh air and circle the outside of the camp I usually end up running into Basta. I'm not quite sure why. Maybe fate still likes messing with me. Fate knows I'm still half afraid of Basta despite everything he had done to help me recently. My heart beat still sped up when I saw him looming in the shadow of a tree. Old habits die hard.

"You probably shouldn't be wandering alone sweetheart." Basta said, spotting me with the eyes in the back of his head. "Especially when it's dark out."

"You're alone." I said lamely.

Basta glanced at me over his shoulder. "Yes, but while I can defend myself very well, you can't."

I glared at him. "Oh, shut up."

Basta smirked and turned his gaze back to the knife in his hands. I watched the blade gleam as he twirled it between his fingers. "Are you denying it?"

I sighed and sat down hard on a stump. "No, not really. Why is it that everyone I know, knows how to fight in some way except for me? Hell my freaking dog can fight better than me. And Jo fights better than me and she's supposedly a pacifist."

"Well I think you might fight better than the old woman." Basta mused.

"Oh good. I fight better than an overweight woman in her sixties. Look out world!"

Basta snickered and shook his head.

Seeing Basta laugh is still weird.

"Hey, uh… I was wondering." I said. "That Lana girl."

"What about her?" Basta asked. I detected no change in his voice but I thought I saw his shoulders stiffen ever so slightly.

"Did she… know you?"

Basta sighed. For a moment a thought he wasn't going to answer. But then he spoke. "She came to the village not long after you faked your death. I didn't know her well. She mostly avoided the other men as much as she could. But I tended to seek out solitude as well. It was through that we occasionally talked. Occasionally fought. That's what happens in Capricorn's city. Boredom. Especially for those who don't get any joy out of shooting cats in their spare time."

"How did they find her?"

"I wasn't there, but according to Cockerel she defending herself against a few muggers. And they ended up with the bruises instead of her. As far as swearing loyalty goes all Capricorn had to do was promise to burn her family's house down with them in it. So she agreed to serve him. But Capricorn had her family killed anyway. He just never told her. She must have suspected it for awhile. It was only a few days ago that she allowed herself to believe it."

"That's sick." I muttered.

"Capricorn always finds a way to make those he desires serve him. Whether he threatens bodily harm or death to those they care about. He always ropes them in somehow. And very few people have out witted him in that game. A lot of the men who serve him came to him that way." Basta said.

"Is that what happened to you?" I blurted before I could stop myself.

Basta's face darkened as he turned to look at me for the first time. "What?"

I swallowed hard and forced myself to continue. "I've been wondering for a long time now… why you stayed under Capricorn for so long when you don't actually enjoy killing that much. I don't get it. And I don't get why after all of that you would save Kat or help me. And I've been racking my brains to figure it out but I come up blank every time. I don't get you at all."

"There are some things that you really don't need to understand, sweetheart." Basta stood and started to walk away. But the stupid me kept on talking.

"Why? What's so horrible? What is so bad that I can't know? I've gone through some shit in these past years myself, mostly due to you and Capricorn's other lackeys. And I'm tired of not understanding! I'm tired of being in the dark! Why the hell did you serve Capricorn all of those years?"

"Don't pretend that you can actually understand." Basta said coldly.

"Bullshit! I think I could!"

Very suddenly Basta was walking towards me and I suddenly realized that running my mouth might have been a terrible idea. I backed up quickly but not quickly enough to avoid Basta as he seized both of my shoulders in a crushing grip and yanked me forward. I found myself looking into his dark eyes which seemed completely black in his anger. All words I might have been able to say before were choked back in my throat leaving my breath to come out in a whimper of both fear and pain.

"No, you don't understand." Basta hissed. "You wouldn't be able to understand why served Capricorn and you wouldn't be able to understand why I left. You can't pretend just because you've seen a few bad things happen in your life that you've seen it all. You haven't been through hell yet. You've only experienced the tip of it." I tried to turn my gaze away from his but he seized my chin in one hand and forced me to look back at him again. "Look at me, sweetheart." I tried to pull my face away. "Look at me!" I stopped struggling and stared at him wide eyed. It had been a long time since I had seen him so angry. "Until you watch everything you care about die in front of you. Until absolutely everything is taken from you and more and absolutely no one even blinks or gives a shit about it, you know nothing. But when you really go through hell, when you really experience it _then_ you can say you understand. And only then."

My breathing was shaky as I finally managed to speak again. "Basta… please let me go."

Basta's eyes went blank for a split second, free of all his previous rage. Slowly, his grip loosened on me and he took a step back. I stumbled backwards into the trunk of a tree, shaking.

He stared at me for a long time before he turned away.

It was then that my voice came out in shaky whisper again. "Not everyone in this world is mostly bad. Not everyone doesn't care. Some of us want to understand… even if we haven't suffered the worst things in the world. Even if that understanding… is all we can do."

He didn't move for a while. He just stood absolutely still, his back towards me. Then he walked forward and disappeared into the trees.

I swallowed hard and slowly lowered myself to the ground, my breathing still shaky and my legs still trembling with fear.

**Hope you enjoyed that character development and angry Basta! i liked writing it!**

**Callypso: And now info on the original story!**

**Original Story News:**

**Well my lovelys I am about 324 pages into Book 2 though I am currently having writers block. So I thought I'd give you a few new characters introduced all original and uninspired by anyone.**

**First is Lana, who is only similar to the Lana a few chapters ago in her name, look and use of knives. She's a much bigger part in this series and comes in actually in the first book though only briefly. It's amazing what extra development can do to a character as she is now one of my three favorites in the book, along with Roten and Kat. She is awesome.**

**Second is Natasha who's gift is strength. She's pretty awesome and she's Lana's good friend. Other friends of Lana are Derek, a guy who can control plants, and Lana's little siblings Lilly and John. Yes, I am using those two in the way you might have predicted. Depressingly.**

**There's also luke who is Lana's slightly older brother. They hate eachother. He controls earth and dirt and such.**

**Marcus is another character who leads a growing resistance against Kronehelm. He can shape shift into a wolf. He's also a slight douche.**

**And that's about all for new important characters. I added a lot more characters in this book but luckly I will only be adding two in the third book, both of whom are villains. And awesom villains at that. I will do a segment on one of them after the next chapter.**

**Continue to give me your thoughts and feed back on the story! I always love them!**

**REVIEW!**


	25. Chapter 24

**_This is a dramatic chapter of awesome!_**

**_Callypso: How modest._**

**_Kat: Especially for someone who has procrastinated this chapter for such a long time._**

**_SILENCE!_**

**_Jo: REVIEW!_**

I was so dazed by Basta's rage that it took me several minutes before I could finally raise myself to my feet. And even then I could only hover for a few moments before I started walking back through the trees.

It was safe to say that Basta had terrified me back there. Never before had I seen him so angry and that was saying a lot because he had gotten angry _plenty _of times. I still felt myself trembling from the encounter.

My mind was in such a rush I didn't even realize that I had been going the wrong way until several minutes later. I stopped and looked around. It was getting close to dark… and I was lost.

"Shit." I muttered. "Why the hell wasn't I paying attention?" I looked around for some land mark that might tell me where I was. But I could find nothing. I looked back the way I came. Maybe I could re trace my steps? Of course I hadn't been paying attention to where I was going in the first place so that wouldn't be much help.

"Well, I certainly didn't expect you to be alone out here." A voice said from behind me.

I whirled around… and froze. For a moment I could only stare at the figure who had come out of the trees. Slowly I opened my mouth to speak. "I… William?"

The boy did look almost exactly like William. The same hair, the same age, the same look. The only discernable difference was the eyes. William's eyes were a warm brown. This boy's eyes were a frightening dark green.

He cocked his head to the side, observing me in a way that I could only compare to a snake. "William?" There was a long pause before he smirked. "Of course. You must be confused. I heard he was once imprisoned in the village. You must have met him them. But I am not William."

"Who… are you?" I asked slowly.

He gave a mocking sort of bow. "I am William's twin brother. My name is Drake. It's very nice to meet the old writer."

* * *

"Jo have you seen Callypso?" Kat asked nervously.

Jo stared at her before rising to her feet. "She's not here?"

"She said she was going for a walk an hour or so ago." Kat licked her lips. "And… it's almost dark and she's not back."

"Why did you let her go off on her own?" Jo said. "She probably got lost or…"

"Kidnapped." Kat whispered. "Oh, no."

Over Jo's shoulder she saw Basta coming through the trees and she hurried over to him. "Hey, have you seen Callypso."

Basta stared at her for a moment before he answered. "She's not here?"

"No she's been gone for an hour or so." Kat was starting to feel panic rise up in her chest.

There was only a brief second's pause before Basta turned and was running back through the forest.

"Hey wait!" Kat called. But he didn't turn back. So she had no choice but to run after him.

* * *

First thoughts about Drake? Bad freaking news. Not only was a pretty sure that he was with Capricorn but I was also pretty sure that he was going to hurt me. There was a glint in his eyes that made me shiver. A sadistic gleam. Like he was looking forward to making me suffer.

I didn't see any of his allies in sight. But that was the only plus side.

"You're… his twin brother?" I whispered.

Now Basta's question to me a week ago in the car made sense.

_"That boy… does he have a brother?"_

Basta must have known who this was. That's why he asked. And anyone that Basta knew was bad news in my mind.

"That's right." Drake said, taking a step towards me. I took a step back, swallowing. He smirked. "You look nervous _sweetheart_." I flinched and he laughed. "Yes, I know you loathe that nickname. As you loathe all nick names given to you."

"How?" I choked out.

"I am mind reader, little writer." Drake took another two steps forward. I stumbled back into a tree. The closer he got to me the more my heart pounded a little faster in my chest. "I can read your thoughts right now. And you're terrified aren't you?"

I swallowed and shook my head, trying to look him square in the eye.

Drake chuckled softly, continuing his steady pace towards me. "You're _lying_. You are afraid of me."

I swallowed and tried to step further back. But the tree was still there. My way was barred. Drake was smirking as he stopped right in front of me. Instinctively I threw my fist at his face but he easily caught my wrist. He glanced at my fist and then back to my face. "You're shaking, sweetheart."

With a shaky breath I tried to pull my wrist away but he held it fast. "Let me go." I whispered, trying to move away. His other hand clamped down on my shoulder and held me still.

"Ah, ah, ah," Drake said. "No struggling."

"What do you want?" I whimpered. I couldn't believe how truly scared I was of this mind reader. The only mind readers I had ever had experience with were Jo and she was so moral that she barely read any minds at all. But Drake wouldn't have such values to hold him back. And that scared me.

"Well, of course I am supposed to bring you back to the village just like the rest of Capricorn's men." Drake said. "But I did finally get my permission from Cockerel to use my gift a little bit on you."

"Wh-what do you mean?" I stuttered.

"Mind reading, of course." Drake said. "The only restriction is you must remain sane. But there are plenty of things I can do within that boundary, don't worry."

Now I struggled harder, but his grip was like iron on me. He pinned me hard against the tree. "Stop, struggling. I'm going to need you to look at me."

I twisted my head as far away from him as it would go. He seized my chin and turned my face roughly back to his. "Look at me." He said softly, staring right into my eyes.

"Stop." I whispered. I did not want to be trapped under his gaze. His green eyes were so cruel. So sadistic.

Drake only smirked. "No. I can't do that." He brushed a strand of hair almost gently away from my face. "This might be a bit painful for you, sweetheart."

With these words his eyes seemed to flash, and my world was plunged into darkness.

* * *

"Enjoying yourself Drake?" Cockerel asked, stepping out of the shadows. The writer was on the ground, out cold. Already she was shivering. Drake was very good at his trade.

Drake smirked at his victim then glanced back at Cockerel. "Most definitely. But you might want to keep it down, this takes a bit of concentration, and I want to make sure it's as painful as possible for her." He looked back at the girl.

"Whatever." Cockerel took a cigarette from his pocket and stuck it in his mouth. "Just make sure she doesn't go insane alright?"

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Drake said.

The shuddered in her sleep and Cockerel smirked lighting his cigarette. "Take your time."

"But you don't have much of that." There was a metallic zing as a knife flew from the darkness. Drake winced as the blade embedded itself in his shoulder and whirled around. Basta was stepping from the darkness, drawing another knife from his pocket.

"Damn it." Cockerel growled taking a step forward. "You-"

"Freeze." A dark voice said to his left.

Slowly Cockerel turned his head to see a girl standing beside him, a gun aimed at his temple. A girl that he knew should have been dead.

"You." He hissed.

"Me." Kat agreed, a dark smirk curling over her face. "Take your hand off the barrel of that gun."

Cockerel just stared at her. "How in the hell are you alive? I shot you!"

"Yes, yes you did." Kat nodded. "So I guess there are two options here. Number 1: I'm too awesome to die and I am fully recovered due to some awesome healing skills on my friend's part or Number 2: I'm a ghost and I've returned to reap fiery vengeance on your ass." She clicked back the safety on her gun. "Either way, you're just about screwed."

Cockerel's lip curled up in a disgusted sneer and his eyes went back to Basta. "So you really are helping them aren't you? That whole hostage thing was just a stupid act."

"A stupid act that fooled you." Basta said flatly.

"Funny, but I was under the impression that you hated the writer. Why the sudden change of heart?" Cockerel snarled.

Basta shrugged. "Maybe because I hate you, Capricorn and the rest of his men more."

"Yeah, so there." Kat said snidely before looking to Drake. "Now what are you doing to my friend? If you don't tell me I get the pleasure of blowing about rooster guy's brains."

Drake smirked. "You do that and he can easily be read back out of the book. I won't tell you."

Cockerel also smirked. "He speaks the truth sweetheart. You can kill me but it won't help anything."

"I'm sure it would sting a little." Kat growled, jamming the barrel of the gun against Cockerel's skull. "So it would be pretty satisfying."

"I have a better idea." Basta seized Drake's arm, twisted it behind his back and slammed the boy to the ground. Drake's eyes widened slightly as Basta pressed the blade of his knife to his throat. "It's true, Cockerel can be read back out of the book but _you _can't. You're completely of this world so if I slit your throat right here, you don't come back." He looked at Cockerel. "So either of you can tell me what's happening to the writer but I know that Drake here is a favorite pawn of Capricorn's so talk fast."

There was a brief silence before Drake spoke. "Think of it as a nightmare. A very vivid nightmare in which I can take all of her worst fears and put them into one dream. It's her personal… hell." He grinned. "Problem is, only a mind reader can stop it."

"Then you'd better stop it _now_." Kat snarled.

"And if you kill me" Drake continued. "That will probably make her go insane since I am the instigator. Our minds are currently bound. You can't do anything to me that won't affect her too."

"I think you're bluffing." Basta growled.

Drake smirked. "You want to call it? Wouldn't be very good for her if I'm telling the truth."

Basta's hesitation gave Drake a window to ram his knee into his gut. Basta rolled off of him gasping for breath.

"Hey!" Kat started to turn her gun towards Drake. Cockerel grinned and elbowed the girl in the stomach. She dropped to her knees and he turned to Drake. "Let's scram."

"Yep." Drake ran after him, a smirk still playing over his face.

* * *

"Cowards." Basta muttered when they had disappeared.

"That mind reader." Kat whispered. "That mind reader looked like William. But he… wasn't."

"No, that's his twin." Basta said. "As I recently figured out." He knelt down next to Callypso. She was still shivering violently. Still stuck in a nightmare. Kat ran over to her.

"Callypso can you hear me?"

"It's no good." Basta said. "She doesn't wake up until he wants her to."

"Yeah, and when is that?" Kat snapped. "How long do I have to wait for him to let my friend out of Hell?"

Basta said nothing for awhile before he sighed. "Jo might be able to help. She's a mind reader. It's worth a shot." Carefully, he picked Callypso up.

"Alright." Kat stood along with him. "Hey I…" She stopped.

"What?" Basta asked as he began walking.

"Just out of curiosity. Is it true that you hate _us _like Cockerel said?" Kat asked.

Basta cast her an amused glance over his shoulder. "Well, when you get over your own hatred you can criticize me about mine."

Kat didn't have an answer to that. Instead she just pressed her lips together and trotted after him.

* * *

**_I enjoyed this chapter and I enjoyed Drake. And speaking of which. It's time for Original Story News!_**

**ORIGINAL STORY NEWS: Yes, I promised I would talk a bit about this character, Drake, in my original story news so here it is. Drake gets a _lot _more focus in the original story because he becomes a much more prominent villain. And he is my most whole heartidly evil character. Sure Kronehelm is bad but he's sort of possesed by something not of this world. And Crow is a bastard but that's all he is. A slightly psychotic bastard. There is something _wrong _with Drake on a psychological level and I really enjoy exploring mind reading through him as well as through Jo. **

**Drake is actually introduced in the first chapter of book 3 along with his little sister who I will discuss later. He's so horrible that even Crow is slightly afraid of him. COWER! Drake probably becomes one of three prominent villains in the third book, the other two being Kronehelm and Crow. **

**I'd say he replaces Roten in the line up of villains but he's just so despicable I can hardly compare both of them. Maybe he replaces Toothless, another complete bastard. Who knows but I enjoy writing him. He's in my second tier of favorite characters along with Jake, Callypso, Jack and Jo. Roten, Lana and Kat take the first tier. I love them all.**

**Thanks for listening and REVIEW!**


	26. Chapter 25

**_Here's the next chapter everyone! More drama! Most of the rest of this book is dramatic. I think the last feel good chapter was the one with Kat and William. Things get pretty depressing from here on out._**

**_ENJOY!_**

Callypso was shaking in her sleep by the time they reached the camp. Everyone was on their feet immediately.

"What happened?" Mo asked. "What's wrong with her?"

"Is she alright?" Meggie squeaked.

"Not exactly." Basta said kneeling down and laying Callypso on the ground. She shifted and whimpered in her sleep.

"Who?" Dustfinger asked, kneeling down next to Callypso as well.

"A mind reader." Basta said. "His name is Drake. He got himself lodged in her mind. And now he's enjoying himself making her life a living Hell."

Hannah gave a little gasp from beside Mo.

"Oh hell." Elinor muttered.

"What do we do?" William asked. "There's got to be something we can do right?"

"Theoretically yes." Basta said.

"What do you mean theoretically?" Kat asked.

"I mean, I've never actually seen it tried before, so it's only a theory."

"Oh so she could end up getting mental _damage _from this?" Kat's voice cracked with outrage.

Basta shot her a glare. "If you have any better ideas feel free to offer them. Otherwise, keep your mouth _shut_."

Kat stared at him for a moment before she surprisingly backed down.

"So what's the idea?" Dustfinger asked as Callypso whimpered again in her sleep.

"The idea is to have someone else push Drake out." Basta said.

"A mind reader." Jo spoke for the first time. Everyone looked at her. "I'm right aren't I?"

Basta nodded.

Jo swallowed and brushed her hair out of her face. "But the catch is I have to go into his head to do it."

"That's right."

"Wait, how does she do that?" Kat asked. "If he's not here?"

"Callypso and Drake's minds are connected right now." Basta said. "She'll have to use Callypso's mind as a bridge and she'll have to be careful."

"Whatever you're going to do we should do it fast." Farid said. "She's getting worse."

As if in testament to this statement Callypso all but screamed in her sleep.

"Hang on Callypso." William muttered. "If I find the sick freak whose doing this and I'll snap his neck."

She cried out again.

"I'll do it." Jo said, standing. "I don't have much of a choice. I don't want to see inside his head, but… it looks like I have to." She looked around at the rest of them. "I'll need silence."

They all nodded.

Jo knelt down beside Callypso and grasped her hand.

"Once you're out of Callypso's mind and into his." Basta said. "Be as rough as you want. And get out as quickly as possible. You don't want to spend too long in his head."

Jo nodded. "Got it." Then she closed her eyes and entered Callypso's mind.

* * *

How do I describe my worst nightmare in words that truly suit the terror it filled me with? Not just terror but sadness; agony. I'm not sure if I can but I'll do my best with what can be put to words.

First imagine pain. White hot pain that you know isn't real but you can feel so vividly it might as well be. Pain is all in the mind and Drake was messing with my pain receptors with exceptional zeal through the whole nightmare. Making me feel like I was burning. Making me feel like I was being shot. Like I was being carved up by a knife. But I didn't die. No, that would have been too kind.

Now imagine noise. Screams, gunshots, cars screeching, the terrified pounding of feet and my own frantic heart beat all jumbled together in one, echoing in my ears though I could see nothing. That was just the first level of the nightmare.

Because then came the images.

I never was afraid of much before my kidnapping nine years ago. Bugs didn't bother me. Neither did snakes or being alone or being in the dark. But when I was first taken I realized I was scared of being kidnapped. Who wouldn't be? After the first incident I always looked twice around a corner before rounding it. I always looked for the bulge of a gun in someone's jacket.

I realized something else the day I was kidnapped as well. I was afraid of people I love being hurt. Hurt or killed because of me. That terrified me more than anything.

In my head, I was being held back by Cockerel. A gun was poised at my temple. And I could do nothing but watch as my friends were shot by some unknown gun man. One by one the fell and no matter how much I screamed and cried it didn't stop. And when they were all dead, my mother, Kat, Jo, Dustfinger, William, Meggie, Mo, Elinor, Farid, everyone… then it started over again. I saw them all shot again. Then a third time. Then a fourth. And all the while Cockerel just kept on laughing behind me as I sobbed and screamed.

I was helpless.

Helpless to stop my friends deaths, helpless to stop the pain.

I could do _nothing_.

I wasn't sure how long it went on before the images shimmered like some sort of projection. Like something was interfering with my nightmare. Then I heard Jo's voice in my head.

"_It will all be over soon Callypso I promise. I'll fix this. Just close your eyes and breathe."_

I did as she said. Slowly the gunshots started to fade and I couldn't feel Cockerel behind anymore. Then the spasms of pain faded also until I was sitting in absolute silent dark.

Only then did I wake up.

* * *

I was gasping for breath as soon as my eyes shot open, like a fish that had been yanked out of water. It took me a minute to fully register reality again. Register the breeze on my face and the fresh tears on my cheeks. Register the blurry images that hovered above me and the muffled voices that seemed as if they were under water.

"Callypso, can you hear me?"

That was Dustfinger's voice. I blinked hard and images came into focus. I saw Dustfinger leaning over me, eyes filled with concern.

"Callypso."

"D-Dustfinger." I stuttered. "You're…" I was going to say not dead but then I realized how crazy that must sound. "Here."

He nodded. "Yes."

Barely repressed sobs welled up in my throat and I trembled. "I-I'm awake?"

"Yes, you're awake Callypso." Dustfinger nodded. "You're awake."

And then I started crying.

In any other situation I would have cursed myself for crying in front of such an audience but now, when I was completely raw and terrified all I could do was sob.

I felt Dustfinger's arms around me as he pulled me into a firm yet gentle hug. I welcomed this comfort. I welcomed anything that didn't bring pain at this point.

"Is she ok?" Kat sounded panicked.

"She'll be alright. Just give her a minute." Dustfinger said, stroking a hand gently through my hair.

"You should get her inside." I heard Basta say. "She needs to rest."

"I-I-" I was trying to speak but Dustfinger stopped me.

"Don't talk Callypso. Just concentrate on breathing. It's alright. It's going to be alright." He picked me up and cradled me against his chest. "Just breathe."

The last thing I remember was being lay down on a bed. Then my world succumbed to a black, dreamless sleep.

* * *

"_You're a troublesome one." _Drake's voice echoed through the black expanse of his mind. _"Didn't expect you to pull that off. Especially since you aren't supposed to use your gift very often."_

"_That doesn't mean I don't understand it." _Jo thought. _"I understand and I respect it. Unlike you."_

Drake chuckled. _"Ah, maybe. So, what do you think of my own humble conscious?"_

Jo shivered as thoughts and images she did not want to see washed over her.

"_I think you're sick."_

"_I'm afraid many people share that same mentality with you Johanna. That is before I break them." _More images and thoughts ran over her like ice cold water. _"Maybe I'll break you."_

"_Sorry, but I didn't plan on staying." _Jo said, pulling away.

"_Stay." _Drake commanded and Jo felt a resistance as she tried to pull out. He was anchoring her to his mind. _"I insist."_

"_Not a chance." _Jo said. _"Let me go."_

"_But you spoiled my fun with the writer." _Drake said. _"It's only fair that you make up for it yourself."_

"_I'm the one in your mind. I have the higher ground and you know it." _Jo said.

"_That's true but you're too weak to use that higher ground to your advantage." _Drake smirked. _"Your morals block your success. So I'd say we're on about equal terms."_

Jo shivered again. He was right of course. Her morals prevented her from using any of his crude tactics. But he wasn't letting her go. She had no choice.

"_You want weak? I'll show you weak." _She found a pain receptor with her mind and gave it a firm mental jab. Drake let out a howl and Jo felt the resistance ease. She pushed herself out of his mind as quickly as she could.

* * *

By the time Jo managed to pull herself back into reality Callypso was no longer outside. It seemed everyone had taken her inward. She swallowed hard and rubbed a shaking hand over her face. She was trembling with both exhaustion and fear.

"She's going to be alright."

Jo looked up to see Basta standing beside her.

Jo managed a tired smile. "Good."

"And you?" he asked. "Will you be alright?"

"Yeah." Jo nodded. "Just a little shaken that's all. I'll be fine."

Basta looked a little unconvinced but he didn't question her further. "We'll have to leave this place and find somewhere else to stay as soon as the writer recovers."

Jo nodded. "I'm sure I can find a place." She stood shakily to her feet.

"Tomorrow." Basta said. "Don't worry about it for now."

Jo cast him a look. "What's with the concern?"

Basta smirked. "Just take it and don't question it sweetheart."

Jo sighed and rolled her eyes. "Right."

* * *

**_HOORAY! CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT! NOW FOR BOOK NEWS!_**

**Original Book News: I like developing characters. I can think of maybe like, two characters that don't get some form of emotional development in the series. And alot of them are analyzed in depth. Callypso is analyzed because she's the main character. kat and Jo are both heavily analyzed, which makes since because they're Callypso's best buddies. And then Jack, Lana and Roten are heavily analyzed, and consequently William and Jake are heavily analyzed. Drake is analyzed pretty heavily just to give meaning to his level of psychotic. Even less important characters like Luke, Marcus, Molly, Nathanial and Callypso's mom get some analysis. There's like two minor villains who get absolutely no explanation but even Crow get's a little development. So does Kronehelm.**

**I think I was able to manage alot of the development better though, by evening it out more across the books. Like most of Kat's heavy analysis happens in the first book and everything else is just a repeat. Lana's seperate personality is analyzed in the second book and Jack is mostly analyzed in the first book. Jo is focused on in the second two books. The third book is probably the most heavy in character development because I have to reveal all of my secrets about Jack Lana and Roten as well as delve into Drake, William, Luke and look at Callypso and her friends over all journey.**

**I love character development. A good plot is nothing without interesting characters.**

**REVIEW!**


	27. Chapter 26

**_Okeydokey! Here's the next chapter everyone!_**

**_Callypso: It has angst and arguments._**

**_Kat: HOORAY!_**

**_Jo: Review and stay tuned!_**

I woke up in one of the small bedrooms of the cabin. My head throbbed dully and I was still shivering a little under the sheets, despite the fact I wasn't cold. But I was alright. I was awake and Drake wasn't in my head. That fact alone made me sigh with relief.

"You're awake."

I turned to see Basta standing in the doorway. Despite myself I stiffened. Last time I saw him he had been just a little angry with me.

Understatement of the century.

"Y-yeah." I nodded. "I… what happened exactly?"

"Drake got himself into your mind. He was creating a nightmare for you. Johanna managed to push him out." Basta's eyes narrowed. "That was incredibly stupid of you, wandering off by yourself."

I flinched and looked down at my sheets. "Yeah, I know. I just wasn't paying attention to where I was going. I was…" I thought about Basta's outburst and winced inwardly. "Distracted."

There was a pause before Basta sighed. "I suppose that was partially my fault."

I shrugged. "Kind of." I looked back at him. "Then again I probably shouldn't have asked."

"You shouldn't have." Basta agreed.

"I'm sorry." I chewed absently on my lip.

He waved his hand dismissively. "Just forget about it sweetheart."

I nodded. Forgetting about it was an excellent idea.

I tried to raise myself. "I need to find Jo."

"Don't even think about it." Basta said. "You try to stand now you'll probably just end up toppling over."

"Why?" I asked.

"Mind reading isn't just a mental thing, especially when the reader isn't making an effort to be gentle." Basta said. "You've been weakened physically as well. You're shaking like a leaf even when you're just lying down."

I looked down at my trembling hands. He had a point.

"Then can you get Jo?" I asked. "So I can thank her? Please?"

Basta thought for a moment before he nodded. "Yes. I could do that." He started to leave the room before he stopped and looked back. "Don't move."

I grinned. "Not moving."

It was weird. Basta actually seemed to care about whether or not I fell flat on my face. I guess that was an improvement. But it was still odd for me to think about.

"Hey."

I looked up to see Jo in the doorway. She looked exhausted, like she hadn't slept much. She gave me a tired smile. "Glad to see you're up."

"Thanks to you." I said. "If it hadn't been for you-"

"Don't think about that." Jo waved her hand dismissively. "No need to dwell in the negative. You're here and you're alright. That's all that matters."

"Yeah." I said. "Have you… gotten any sleep?"

Jo shook her head. "Not much."

"How much is not much?"

"About an hour, in and out." She said.

I looked down at my hands. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be Callypso." Jo shook her head. "You're my friend. I would do anything to keep you safe. A few nights sleep isn't that much of a sacrifice."

"It could have been worse" I pointed out.

"It could always be worse." Jo shrugged. "But like I said, let's not dwell in the negative."

"Callypso!"

Kat appeared beside Jo in the doorway. She was grinning. "You're awake. Thank _God_!"

"Geez I wasn't on deaths door people." I muttered.

"No but you were on mental instabilities door." Kat said, trotting over to my side. "And that's just as scary. We need your mind." She tapped me on the forehead.

"Ow. Head ache." I muttered.

"Whoops! Sorry." Kat withdrew her hand. "You are ok right?"

"Yeah, just a little physical aftermath." I showed her my shaking hands.

"That should be gone by tonight." Jo said. "And you should be able to walk around in a few more hours."

"How do you know that?" I asked.

"Jo's a genius Callypso. That's all the answer you should need." Kat grinned.

Jo shrugged modestly.

And that is the difference between Kat and Jo.

"We'll let you rest." Jo said. "When you can walk again, come find us."

"Ok." I nodded.

"Get well soon!" Kat sang as she exited the room after Jo.

I smiled and shook my head. I was glad to have friends like them. So, so glad.

* * *

Kat knew that William knew who Drake was by his silence. He sat quietly for most of the day just staring off into space, his brow furrowed with a mixture of anger and sadness. She approached him tentatively. "Hey… William?"

He blinked as if he had just been awoken from a dream. "Yes?"

"I'm sorry about Drake." She said. "Being… you know…"

"My brother?" William smiled bitterly. "Can't say I particularly shocked. I told you about him remember? He was always that kid who kicked puppies for fun. Now he's a mind reader. That makes him even worse."

Kat nodded. "Yeah."

"I asked Basta about it." He continued. "About when my brother joined up with them. He said it was a few years ago. And Drake joined _willingly_." He shook his head in disgust. I can only assume my mother is dead."

"What about your little sister?" Kat asked.

William's face darkened even further. "She's the new writer."

"What?" Kat's eyes bugged. "But… that… how?"

"I don't know." William said. "But according to Basta, she's quite willing herself."

"A lot of Capricorn's men are willing." Kat muttered. "I'm sure your sister is just willing because of Drake."

"It would make sense; she worships the ground he walks on." William said. "Always has."

"So when were you talking to Basta?" Kat asked.

"Earlier. He was the only one with the answers I needed." William said. He cast her a glance. "I expect you still haven't forgiven him."

"No, she hasn't." Jo appeared behind them. "Though she should be considering it."

Kat glared at her. "I'm sorry, have you forgiven Dustfinger yet?"

"I don't hate him."

"Bull shit!"

Kat wasn't sure why she suddenly felt so angry. But she did.

William looked nervously in between the two girls. "Uh… guys?"

"If you want to say something to me then let's take it outside." Jo said. "There are other people in this cabin." And with that she turned and walked out the front door.

"Fine." Kat stood and stalked after her.

"Guys?" she heard Callypso's voice behind her but she didn't stop to turn around.

* * *

"I don't understand why you're so resistant to the idea of forgiving Basta, Kat." Jo said. "It makes no sense. You're just being stubborn."

"You're being stubborn about Dustfinger." Kat growled. "For no good reason as well."

"The reason I still don't trust Dustfinger is because of what he did is that he hasn't given me much of a reason to think otherwise." Jo said. "Maybe he's not thinking of betraying Callypso but he acts the same way he did when he deceived me. So I can't be sure."

"Did you ever think of reading his mind?"

"I shouldn't have to."

Kat turned away and crossed her arms. "I have no reason to forgive Basta either."

"Are you serious?" Jo asked. "Kat. _He. Saved. Your. Life._ Or have you forgotten about that?"

"He was behind the kidnapping of my brother when I was five, and the murder of my father. I have a scar on the back of my neck to prove it. You don't know-"

"Kat I've seen it your head. I do know. But he was a part of it, not behind it. That title belongs to Capricorn. And you know it to. I know you do but you won't let yourself believe it."

"Get the hell out of my head!" Kat snapped. "Stop pretending you know everything. You weren't with Callypso and I when this all started. You don't understand as much as you think you do."

"I'm still your friend. I still know you. Kat, please." Jo's eyes were pleading. "Can't you just try to see? I'm your friend and I'm trying to help you."

"Yeah you're our friend because you couldn't find anyone else. Because we were the only ones who noticed you. Us _freaks_. Everyone else ignored you like you didn't exist. Even your own _parents_."

Kat wasn't sure where these words came from and she wished she could take them back as soon as they exited her mouth but she couldn't. Jo stared at her for a long time, lips pressed together in a tight line. Then she drew back her hand and smacked Kat across the face with a force Kat didn't know Jo was capable of.

"So that's what you think is it Kat?" Jo whispered. "About my friendship." She shook her head. "Fine then. Live in your own stupid stubborn world. I don't care."

Then she turned and stalked off into the trees.

Kat didn't try to stop her.

* * *

**_Oh yes, the wonders of angst._**

**_Callypso: Now for original story news!_**

**Original Story: I've come to realize that many of you resent my teasing you with news about the story while not letting you read it. But you can always think about all the great knowledge you posses when it get's published. I mean, you'll know who dies and everything! Be happy.**

**That being said let's talk about the relationship of our three leads: Callypso, Kat and Jo. In the original story, Kat and Jo are much more polarizing. Jo is a pacifist who doesn't emote very much and stays in the back ground and Kat is out there, violent and angry. You notice her no matter what. From the beginning, even though they are close friends they disagree alot more than I wrote in Inkfate. Paticularly when it comes to Kat's violence. Jo is always trying to get Kat to be less angry and Kat always resists. But they never end up getting into legitimate fights until book 3 when they have their disagreement about forgiving Jack and Roten. This is built up alot more in the beginning of the book and it's a slow building flame so this scene makes a bit more sense. It's also established early on that Jo doesn't think Roten is as bad as the others, mainly because she just get's a good sense about people. Callypso is caught in the middle of all this as she is in the middle in personality and in her relationship with her friends. She's the neutral power.**

**That's all for today! REVIEW!**


	28. Chapter 27

_**Enjoy this chapter (Grins evilly)**_

_**Callypso: I'm scared**_

_**Kat: You should be.**_

_**Jo: REVIEW AND STAY TUNED!**_

Jo rammed her fist as hard as she could into a tree. It was rare that she got so angry as to take it out on something physically. But she couldn't help it now. The skin on her knuckles split as she hit the tree, but she barely noticed the pain.

"Kat you idiot." She whispered. "You stupid… stubborn… girl."

Kat's stubbornness had always annoyed Jo especially concerning Basta. Jo could see how much Kat's grudge was hurting her the longer she held onto it. And there was no need for her to hold on. Basta had saved her life. She should at least _thank _him for that. But she hadn't. Kat was too stubborn.

Then again, Jo herself was just as stubborn about Dustfinger. But how could she trust him anymore? She promised that she would never trust him again. Never.

But she had to forgive him to. Maybe that was the only way Kat would forgive Basta. Jo didn't hate Dustfinger like she used to. Not as much. But he had shattered her trust. Trust was such a hard thing to earn back.

"I have to give it back to him." She murmured to herself. "If Kat is going to be freed from her own stupid hatred."

Right now though she didn't really want Kat to be free. Not after what she had said.

"_Yeah you're our friend because you couldn't find anyone else. Because we were the only ones who noticed you. Us freaks. Everyone else ignored you like you didn't exist. Even your own parents."_

The words hit Jo deeply. It was true she had been the invisible girl in school and at home. No one really knew she existed. Callypso and Kat were some of the first people she befriended but she cared about them. It wasn't because of her need for a friend she had approached them. And it wasn't because of her need for friends that she stuck with them till the end.

"She didn't mean it." Jo murmured.

She didn't. But it still hurt.

Jo sighed and leaned herself up against a tree. Dustfinger hadn't betray them thus far. And Kat would never let go of her grudge against Basta unless Jo trusted Dustfinger again and Jo knew that was dangerous. Kat's grudges affected her mind and decision a lot more than the affected Jo's.

"Don't have a choice." Jo muttered. "I'll have to find forgiveness somewhere in my heart."

A branch snapped from somewhere in the forest and Jo froze.

"Who's there?"

* * *

"Where's Jo?" I asked Kat she stormed back into the cabin, slamming the door shut behind her.

"I don't care." She said darkly before sitting violently down on a log and glaring out into the dark.

My brow furrowed. We couldn't afford to be fighting now in a time like this. It was enough trouble hating Capricorn and all of his men.

I stood. "I'll go and see if I can find her."

William cast me a glance. "Hey, don't go too far Callypso."

"Trust me, after what happened last night I wasn't planning on it." I sighed. "I'll be back soon. Alright Kat?"

Kat said nothing so I sighed and headed out the door.

* * *

Jo whirled around as another branch snapped in the woods.

"Who's there?" she repeated, kneeling slowly down to the ground and finding a long tree branch with her hand. "I know someone is there." She held the tree branch in her hands like she might a fencing sword. "Hello?"

No answer.

Jo narrowed her eyes in concentration as she felt around for a mind. She could feel four presences near her. Her heart sank. She knew exactly who it was.

She closed her eyes "There's no point in trying to surprise me Cockerel."

"Aren't you a smart little mind reader?" Cockerel's unmistakable voice was alarmingly close behind her. Jo swung her weapon around only to have it caught by a firm hand. She found herself looking up at Cockerel. He grinned. "Nice try, sweetheart."

Before Jo could react, her weapon was knocked from her hands and she found a gun pointing right at her face.

"You didn't really think that little stick could go up against a gun did you princess?" Cockerel smirked, mockingly.

Jo forced herself to remain calm "No… I guess not."

She felt two large hands fall on her shoulders and prevent her from trying to run. They definitely belonged to Flatnose. Jo looked to the side and saw Conner, who looked pained, and Drake, who was smirking broadly.

Cockerel grasped Jo's chin in his hand and turned her face back towards his. He held the barrel of his gun under her jaw. "I guess you know what happens now, don't you sweetheart?"

Jo felt fear settling over her heart but she didn't let it reflect on her face "You kill me."

"Smart girl." Cockerel laughed.

Jo closed her eyes. '_I'm sorry Callypso. I can't get out of this one. Drake will have their minds guarded… and I can't take him. He's more powerful than me. I'm going to die…' _This fact settled on Jo with surprising calm. _'I'm going to die here. I thought I would be more afraid.'_

"It's a shame isn't it?" Cockerel sneered. "If you didn't get yourself involved with the writer you could be living a normal life right now. You wouldn't die."

Jo surprised herself by smiling "I would never choose a normal life over the one I've been given. That writer you speak of is my best friend. And if I'm going to die, I'd much rather it be helping her than when I'm eighty years old and can hardly walk. Dying doing something worthwhile is better than dying the easy way."

Drake burst out laughing "You know what's funny? She actually means that!"

"You're a strange one, princess." Cockerel sighed as if this were tiresome thing.

"So I've been told." Jo said.

Jo heard a sudden fit of barking to her right and she saw Fang burst into the darkness, his teeth bared in a vicious snarl. Flatnose's grip on her loosened and Jo took advantage of it. She jammed her elbows into his chest and leapt out of the way of Cockerel and his gun.

Fang leapt at Cockerel and closed his jaws around the gun in his hand.

"Let go your brute!" Cockerel snapped, trying to shake the gun from Fang's grip. Jo scrambled for her fallen stick on the ground. Her fingers closed around it as she heard a bang and a sharp yelp from Fang.

Jo swung around with her weapon just as the gun went off a second time.

* * *

"Jo?" I called. "Jo where are you?" I couldn't find her anywhere. She couldn't have gotten far though. Maybe I was just going in the wrong direction. I knew I should go back before I got myself into more trouble. I couldn't fight a man in a wheel chair right now with how unsteady my legs were, so I definitely wouldn't be able to take on any of Capricorn's men.

I jumped as I heard the sound of a gunshot and the yelp of a dog. My heart froze. Gunshot. Someone was shooting a gun.

_Jo_.

I hurried towards the sound and skidded to a stop at the crest of a hill that overlooked a small clearing. I saw Fang lying on the ground whimpering as blood pooled around him, and I saw Cockerel raising his gun to point at someone else. Jo. She swung around to face Cockerel with a large stick just before he pulled the trigger.

And then I saw Jo, one of my best friends, fall to the ground.

**_(Smiles evilly) That is all._**

**_Callypso: Oh you suck._**

**_Kat: I'm depressed now._**

**_Hooray! Oh and congratz to those who guessed that Fang and Jo were going to die. But I lied. There's another person who will die. I just didn't originally count Fang as a person. Now for original story news!_**

**ORIGINAL STORY NEWS: Here's the thing about Crow. He had by far the highest body count when it comes to people Callypso cares about. He shoots her neighbor at the beginning, he shoots her mother, he almost kills Kat and he kills Jo. Whether or not he kills someone else YOU DO NOT KNOW! I actually haven't taken much time to think about Crow's back story. Honestly I think he was picked on as a kid, got ahold of a gun once, shot it and liked the way it made him feel in control. Now he's trigger happy and temperemental. Not the best combination. I do enjoy writing him alot though I enjoy Drake more as a villian and Roten at the beginning. Roten isn't technically a villain by the end though so, you know.**

**Oh yeah and another fun fact. I was writing a scene with Crow while watching James Bond: Golden Eye. The villain in Golden Eye was played by Sean Bean...Crow now looks like Sean Bean in my mind :) It is wonderful.**

_**Dustfinger: REVIEW!**_


	29. Chapter 28

**_Prepare to be thoroughly depressed my dear readers. Prepare to be thoroughly depressed._**

**_Callypso: What a shock._**

**_Kat: Stay tuned after for OS news!_**

**_Jo: And REVIEW!_**

Do you know what it's like to have the wind knocked out of you, so hard that you can barely breathe and you can't make a sound except for maybe a strangled moan? That's what it felt like, hearing that gunshot.

I stood perfectly still for a moment, choking on a scream that lay coiled in the back of my throat. My heart felt like it was being compressed… slowly compressed by the weight of the situation. It was like seeing Kat get shot again. But Jo couldn't slow the bullet down with her mind. Jo had gotten the shot full blast.

My air came back and a scream rose up in my throat but before it could escape my lips a hand clapped over my mouth and I was pulled back against someone's chest.

'_NO!' _I thought. _'LET ME GO! I HAVE TO GO TO HER! I HAVE TO HELP HER!'_

I struggled harder than I ever had before, trying desperately to break away from arms holding me back .

_Let me go! I have to help her!_

"Stop it sweetheart." a familiar voice muttered in my ear. "Stop struggling."

I didn't listen, I continued to jerk uselessly against Basta's grip. His arms tightened around me, almost painfully, but I didn't care.

"They want you to go down there." Basta hissed. "You go down there, they'll catch you. That won't help anyone. You're in no position to fight them all off. You're in no position to fight _one _of them."

Still I didn't listen. Even though what he said made sense considering my condition I was beyond reason at the time.

'_It's not too late! I'll take them all! Let me go!'_

"Should we leave?" Drake asked from down below. "We want this to sink in nice and deep for the writer." His voice seemed almost giddy. I wanted so badly to _strangle _him.

"She's still breathing" Flatnose muttered, nudging Jo's leg with his foot.

'_DON'T TOUCH HER! LEAVE HER ALONE!'_

"I won't take chances like I did with the first one." Cockerel growled.

'_Callypso.'_

I heard Jo's voice in my head. My eyes widened and I suddenly stopped struggling.

'_Callypso I'm sorry. Don't give up because of this. You can't give up.'_

"I'll finish this quickly." Cockerel said, aiming his gun at Jo's head.

'_Tell Dustfinger that I forgive him Callypso.'_

'_No Jo… Don't leave me!'_

'_Good bye.'_

"Close your eyes" Basta breathed in my ear.

For a reason I couldn't fathom, I listened to him. Another shot echoed through the dark and I went limp in Basta's grip, no longer struggling, like I myself had been shot. It was as if any will to fight was just sucked out of me.

I heard laughing, horrible laughing from the valley and then footsteps heading away from the scene. After a few minutes of horrible silence, Basta let me go. A soon as he did I bolted down the hill, almost stumbling several times. I ran as quickly as I could to where Jo lay. When I reached her I fell to my knees, tears pouring fast down my cheeks. "Jo."

Her eyes were closed. She could have been asleep if it weren't for the two bloody holes. One in her chest and one in her forehead. "J-Jo." I brushed her hair over her face so that I might hide the bullet wound. But I could still see the trickle of blood running down her face. I could see that her chest no longer rose and fell. I knew she was gone.

But I wanted so desperately, with every fiber of my being not to believe it.

Behind me I heard footsteps. I knew Basta had followed me down.

I felt my vision was blurred as I stood and faced him. "Why did you hold me back?" I hissed. "I could have helped her. I could have stopped this. I could've."

"No you couldn't have." Basta said. His voice wasn't sharp or mocking. It was blunt but soft. Somehow, that just made me angrier.

"I could have!" My voice rose to a shout. "I could have saved her!" I tried to attack him in my anger and desperation, because could find no one else to attack. I had to attack someone. I had to make someone hurt as much as I was hurting right now. "Damn you! I could've killed them!"

Basta caught both my wrists easily as I tried to hit him. My voice was cracked and desperate as I continued to yell and curse at him and swear what I knew wasn't true. I knew I could have done nothing. But I needed someone to blame, someone to hurt.

"I could have… I could have…" Tears slipped down my cheeks. "Oh god… Jo…"

My knees gave. Basta's grip on my wrists was all that kept me up. He slowly lowered me to the ground as I started to cry. Sobs tore at my throat and tears fell unchecked from my eyes. I hated myself for crying in front of Basta. He said nothing. He just watched me. It was only in this much despair that I could bear him seeing me this weak and fragile. Of course he had seen me this way once before. When Kat was shot. But she had lived. Jo was dead. She wasn't coming back.

That made my crying all the more desperate.

"I could have done something… I could have saved her…" I continued to whisper through my tears.

"Sweetheart, look at me" Basta murmured. I felt a hand rest gently on my shoulder. There was a pause. I didn't look at him. I just kept on crying at the ground. He sighed "Callypso."

My head jerked up at the sound of my name. He had actually said my name. After all the times he refused, he was saying it now. Not a nickname. My name. I looked at him, my eyes wide with shock.

"You know you couldn't have done anything." He said, softly. "I'm sorry."

The weird thing was I could tell he meant it. I don't think Basta had made an honest apology for a very long time, but there was no mockery in his eyes. He _did _look sorry.

My mouth moved up and down as I tried to come up with something to say, but I found nothing. I just started to cry again, my whole body trembling with the effort.

It was a long time before my sobs stopped, after my throat was raw and my eyes burned. I just sat numbly on the ground, a few stray tears still slipping down my cheeks.

"Her body…" I mumbled, almost incoherently. "Can't… leave her down here alone."

"We won't." Basta said. "We'll carry her back, don't worry." He stood. "Come on."

I nodded, but I didn't move. I felt a hand take my arm and help me to my feet. I swayed on the spot. My legs were still shaking pretty badly.

"Easy, sweetheart." He said, steadying me.

To my right I heard a whimper and I turned to see that Fang was still alive. I felt bile rise up in my throat and I clapped a hand over my mouth. "Oh God."

Basta knelt down next to the dog an observed the wound. Then he stood. "He won't last much longer."

"There's nothing we can do?" I asked.

"No." he shook his head. Then he bent down to pick up an abandon gun that one of the men had left behind. "Just this."

I bit my lip and tried to constrain more tears. Basta looked back at me. "Look away. I'll take care of it."

I nodded and turned around. My heart jolted when I heard the gunshot. A sob tried to make its way out of my throat but I choked it down.

"We'll have to come back for him." Basta said.

I didn't respond.

"Callypso, look at me."

There was my name again. It sounded so strange coming from his mouth. I looked back at him.

"It's not your fault." He said. "Cockerel is the one who shot her. He gets the blame. You couldn't have stopped it."

"What am I going to say to Kat?" I whispered suddenly.

"You say what happened." Basta said, picking Jo up.

"But they had a fight… Kat was furious with Jo" I shook my head. "I-If Kat finds out Jo is dead… I can't tell her. I just can't."

"It's not as if you can hide it from her." Basta said.

"It will tear her apart."

"There's no way around it."

I bit my lip "I-I know."

There was no way around telling Kat. There was no way around this misery.

Cockerel had done this. Basta said that I couldn't kill. But I was looking forward to proving him wrong when I shot a bullet through Cockerel's face.

* * *

**_The world is ending. Basta called Callypso by her real name not a nickname_**

**_Kat: We should document this moment._**

**_Yep! Now for Original story News!_**

**_ORIGINAL STORY NEWS: _Well dear readers, as of yesterday, book 2 is complete. 574 pages. My god it is long. Now it's locked away in my DO NOT OPEN folder until Christmas break. Hoorah hoorah!**

**No for a bit on this scene. Actually this scene won't differ much from the one I put in book 3. it will play out roughly the same way. Except for I think that Roten callying Callypso by her name is even more meaningful because he literally has _never _called her that. Basta's called her Callypso once or twice but not never. I just like writing this scene between them. It's one of my favorite scenes to write.**

**Love you all! Next chapter I'll be talking some more aobut Kat and Jo's friendship.**


	30. Chapter 29

_**Here's another depressing chapter. Shocker.**_

_**Callypso: because everyone just loves seeing our lives ruined.**_

_**Kat: Sick people.**_

_**JK. REVIEW!**_

Kat sat, glaring at the wall of her room. Jo wouldn't let the subject go about Basta. She had some nerve. Why should she have to let go of her grudge? She could fight Capricorn and still hate Basta.

Still, Kat knew that she had hurt Jo a lot for what she said. So much that Jo had actually slapped her. Jo almost never let her anger out. It took a lot to warrant a full slap from her. Kat felt her cheek. It still stung a little.

She heard the door open from behind her.

"I'm not talking to you Jo." She said. "You might as well go away."

"It's not Jo." Basta's voice met her statement instead.

"What do you want Basta?" Kat muttered, without turning around.

"Kat…" he said. By his tone of voice, Kat suddenly knew something was very wrong. Plus he had used her name. And that wasn't a good sign.

She turned around to look at him. His face was grim. Kat felt her heart pounding in her chest "What… what is it?"

"Johanna is dead."

Three words. That's all it took to crush Kat's heart. Just three words.

"She went off on her own. Cockerel and some others cornered her. She was shot." Basta continued on looking straight at her. "I'm telling you because Callypso can't bring herself to."

Kat tried to say something. For a moment the only noise she could summon from her throat was a strangled choking sound.

"No…" she finally managed to whisper. "You're lying… you have to be lying. She can't be dead. There's no way…" Her voice rose to a shout. "You're lying!"

Basta said nothing. He just held her gaze, his face unchanged. He had expected this reaction.

"Don't lie to me!" Kat hissed, drawing her gun from her belt and aiming it at Basta's chest. "SHE'S NOT DEAD!"

"You can delude yourself if you really want to." Basta said, glancing at the barrel of the gun. "But killing me isn't going to change anything." He looked back at her. "You aren't going to shoot me."

"I will!" she hissed, tears streaming down her face. "Why wouldn't I kill you? I HATE you!"

"For the same reason you've only aimed to wound instead of kill ever since you blew out the back of Flatnose's head five years ago" he said harshly. "The same reason you didn't shoot Cockerel before he shot you that night. Because you're afraid to kill. Because you're afraid you'll become a monster if you do again. Isn't that right, sweetheart?"

Kat froze and stared at him with wide eyes.

'_How does he know that? How could he know?'_

The gun slipped from her shaking hands "Jo… why Jo? Why did it have to be her…"

Basta's face softened and he sighed "The others are with her already. Go on and see for yourself. Callypso has been asking for you."

Kat nodded numbly and hurried from her room past Basta and outside. Everyone else was already there standing in a tight circle around a motionless figure. She stumbled forward and ended up on her knees next Callypso. Seeing the body confirmed her worst fears.

It was in that moment that she broke down and let the tears fall freely. Callypso was next to her, her face red and blotchy from crying. As soon as they met each other's eyes Callypso threw her arms around Kat. They cried into each other's shoulders, feeling the same burning pain of loss. Feeling the same unyielding anger for Capricorn and his men.

Kat wasn't sure how long they stayed like that. Time lost all meaning in her despair. Nothing else mattered now. Jo was dead. The world might as well have stopped turning.

And the worst part was, Kat knew if she hadn't said those things to Jo… Jo wouldn't have stormed off. And Jo would still be alive.

'_It can't get any worse.' _She thought, just before it did. Because at that moment Callypso looked numbly at Dustfinger who was leaning against the wall of the cabin, head in his hands.

"Dustfinger." Callypso's voice was hoarse. "Jo said… that she forgives you."

Dustfinger stared at her. "She…"

"She told me that, right before they shot her." Callypso said. "And she forgives you."

Dustfinger slowly slid down the wall, a look of shock and agony on his face. Then he let his head fall against his knees.

The words hit Kat like a bullet to the chest.

"_Jo says she forgives you."_

Kat swallowed hard. She knew that Callypso didn't know the words double meaning. But Kat did. That was Jo speaking not only to Dustfinger but directly to her.

"_You forgive Dustfinger and I'll forgive Basta." _Kat's own words played back through her head. Yes, Jo's message was clear.

"_Well Kat? I forgive Dustfinger. I forgive him of everything he's done. So it's time for you to forgive Basta now."_

"Oh Jo." Kat looked at Jo's lifeless face feeling fresh tears well up in her eyes. She let her face drop into her hands. Well she was trapped now. She might as well spit on her friend's corpse if she was going to break their agreement.

"_Well played." _She thought. _"Jo… I'm so sorry. Oh god, I'm sorry."_

* * *

We drove all the next day to get somewhere far away from the place where Jo had died. We buried her there next to the cabin and we waited till morning to leave. Needless to say I didn't get any sleep. How could I.

I knew Kat had joined me in sleeplessness. Jo's death hit her harder than even me, I could tell. She sat numb through the whole drive.

No one talked much really. Not even Elinor. Occasionally I saw Meggie or Hannah start to cry again but they quickly wiped away their tears. As for me I was all cried out. There were no more tears left. I just sat there, staring ahead into the invisible distance, remembering.

Remembering the times Jo and Kat and I had spent together before this whole mess started. I could remember the most mundane things now in crystal clarity and I cursed myself for not thinking of them before.

Yesterday, the morning of her death, I had talked to her with no knowledge of what was coming. I had thanked her for rescuing me from my nightmare and apologized for the sleepless night I had caused her.

"_You're my friend. I would do anything to keep you safe. A few nights sleep isn't that much of a sacrifice."_

And then she had died. Her life was a much larger sacrifice and it had been to help me. I tried to think of what Jo might say.

"_Don't be so negative Callypso. You're my friend. Don't think for a second that I died in vain."_

Yeah that seemed like something Jo would say. I just had a hard time believing it.

We stopped at the abandon cabin Jo had pointed out for us the previous afternoon and got out in silence. Most everyone went into the house but I didn't. I wanted to be alone for a little while. I sat down on a dead stump out back and closed my eyes, hoping to lose myself in the sounds of the woods. The birds and the breeze and rustling leaves.

I found it annoyed me more than anything. How could the birds chirp right now? How could the breeze be so gentle? How dare the sun shine when my friend was dead?

Still I stayed out there. For how long I wasn't sure. An hour? Two? Maybe even five. But I wasn't hungry or tired or anything.

Just sad.

The sun was starting to dip in the sky when I heard Basta's voice.

"Been out here all day?"

I looked at him. "Yeah." I looked back at my hands. "I know I couldn't have done anything to help her without getting myself kidnapped." I swallowed hard. "But I wasn't thinking straight at the time."

"Didn't expect you to sweetheart."

The nick name didn't annoy me for once. "I'm sorry. I kind of snapped at you when you didn't do anything wrong."

Basta shook his head. "No need to apologize for that. You don't hit very hard."

A sort of bitter laugh came out of my throat but it sounded more like a cough. For a moment we said nothing.

"You asked me," Basta finally said. "Why I stayed with Capricorn for so long."

I looked at him in surprise.

"Do you still want to hear that story?" He asked, looking at me. "It's not very happy of course, but you might have guessed that."

"Well, everything happy right now is pissing me off." I said.

A smirk tugged at his mouth. "Alright." He sat down on the ground across from me. "This may take a little while."

* * *

_**Yeah, I hate you. That's why I stopped there. Review and I'll update quicker :)**_

_**Callypso: My god you are evil.**_

_**Indeed.**_

__**Original story news: Well I'm feeling pretty lazy right now. I'll do more news next time but right now I want to sleep. Suffice it to say Book 2 is still in the waiting period folder and I'm 100 pages into book 3. Hooray.**

**REVIEW!**


	31. Chapter 30

_**Ok, here's Basta's sucky life. Enjoy.**_

Ever since Basta had switched sides I had started to be curious about him. About why he served Capricorn so long and about why he even joined him in the first place. Before a few weeks ago I hadn't been curious at all. I didn't want to know more about my enemies. Why should I understand them when I hated them?

Now I did wish I knew so much earlier. Everything would have made a lot more sense.

"I joined Capricorn when I was young as I'm sure you've heard. I was eleven. Capricorn often took on young boys because of how easy they were to… corrupt. He took people who had nowhere else to turn to and became almost their savior." Basta said. "And when they found me I truly had nothing else. I was an easy target."

"Were you an orphan?" I asked.

"When they found me, yes, but not just before." Basta said. "I had a mother for a long time. And… a sister."

"A sister?" That was news to me. My eyes widened at this. "You had a sister?"

"Younger by three years." He said. "I was content then, when I was younger, even if I had very few friends. But when I was eleven something happened. There was a large band of robbers who you could say were rivals of Capricorn. They were notorious for sweeping through villages, massacring most of the inhabitants, taking what they wanted and burning the places to the ground. My village became their next target so you can imagine what happened."

"They killed everyone?" I murmured.

"Every last person. I survived only because the men who came into my house were distracted and they didn't see me coming with the knife." As if remembering that night, Basta flipped his knife from hand to hand. "That was the first time I killed anyone. I was the only one who survived that night. Soon after I stumbled into a few of Capricorn's men. I'm surprised they didn't kill me actually." Basta shrugged. "Maybe they saw the blood on my face and thought I would be an asset. When they heard what I had survived they brought me back to Capricorn's hideout."

"So when did you meet Dustfinger?" I asked.

"Not long after. He was the only other person close to my age. The others didn't really like me. Many of them took to knocking me around. I couldn't do much at the time. I was smaller for my age." His mouth jerked. "I suppose you could say that's why I've always hated Cockerel."

"Cockerel." I stared. "He used to-"

"Yes, use me as a punching bag." Basta smirked at my surprise. "He's only six years older than me but when he was seventeen and I was eleven the physical difference was vast. He wouldn't dare try something like that now of course."

"Yeah, I noticed." I said. "That's weird to think about."

Basta smirked and then continued. "Dustfinger obviously tried to desert Capricorn and in the process I believed him to be killed. I saw firsthand exactly what happened to those who attempted that. It kept me under Capricorn for a time but that was not the reason for my long term stay and eventual rise right to the top of his command."

He paused for a moment. His face had become noticeably grave. I didn't say anything this time and waited for him to continue. If I wanted information then I couldn't press him for it. Finally he spoke again.

"They always said once you killed for Capricorn he owned you." He said. "And I did kill for him on a few occasions though I avoided it many times because of my age. Until they discovered the location of many of the robbers who had once belonged to that band who so effectively destroyed my village and everyone I knew within it."

I swallowed hard as his expression became dark. I wouldn't dare make a sound now.

"The robbers had disbanded a few years ago and settled down. They were particularly concentrated in one village along with their families and some others who really had nothing to do with them but Capricorn wanted them all wiped out. He didn't want there to be any chance that they might rise up again and challenge him. He called the person who had the most grudge against these robbers and told him where they were." Roten smile bitterly. "I was that person and I was all too happy to carry out the task assigned to me. To kill every person in that village." He ran one finger along the flat of his knife's blade. "I didn't even need help. I went into the village at dark and did exactly as I was ordered. I killed everyone I came across, quickly and quietly. No one even knew it was happening until they found my knife at their throat." He closed his eyes. "And I did kill everyone, man, woman and child, innocent and non innocent. It didn't matter. I couldn't stop myself. My knife, my arm, my body had a will of its own. When I left that village, no one in it was still breathing."

For awhile everything was silent. He didn't speak or look at me and I tried very hard not speak either or even breathe. I just stared.

After what seemed like an eternity, Basta's eyes opened again. "It wasn't until afterwards what I had done set in deeper for me. The misery I had created, the people I killed. It dropped on me like a giant rock, crushing me. That is the reason that to this day I've never enjoyed killing quite so much as Cockerel or Flatnose. The reason I always preferred to let them do the job themselves. They wrote it off as my superstition which it was, partially but it wasn't just that." Basta sighed. "That is the reason I stayed with Capricorn for so long. Because after what I did, that kind of life was all that was left for me. There wasn't any other way I could live. So I stayed, I worked my way up. Everyone feared me because of what they heard about my massacre. It was a perfect guise to hide under." He looked at me. "Does that answer your question sweetheart?"

I couldn't manage an auditory reply so instead I just nodded.

"I didn't tell you for any kind of sympathy." Basta said, standing. "Just because you wanted to know. And now you do."

"Yes I do." I murmured. "Thank you. For telling me." I looked at him. "I… understand now. And I know why you got angry every time I asked. But thank you."

Basta observed me for a moment before he said, "You're welcome." He started into the small cabin. "Don't go wandering off sweetheart."

"I know." I murmured.

When he was gone I exhaled and stared at the trees, now with a lot more on my mind than Jo's recent death.

I welcomed the distraction though. Even if it wasn't a happy thing, I welcomed it.

* * *

"I found her." Conner said quietly. "Now that the mind reader is gone I can get through without any resistance." He hated himself for saying it but he knew that Drake would find out if he tried to shield the writer anymore.

"Good, I'm getting sick of this and Capricorn is getting impatient." Cockerel grumbled, tossing a half finished cigarette to the ground and crushing it with the toe of his boot. "We grab the girl and we go. We shoot anyone who gets in the way. Everyone got that?"

They all nodded. Drake and Flatnose both gave hungry grins.

"Good." Cockerel said. "Let's go."

* * *

_**Yup. Sucks to be him.**_

_**Callypso: Now for original story news!**_

**ORIGINAL STORY NEWS: Roten's life is the worst I've ever written. Suffice it to say it is even _worse _than Basta's life in this story. You heard me right. _Worse. _I'm a horrible person. Funny how the characters who's lives probably suck the most: Lana, Roten and Kat, happen to be my characters. So I'm lovingly destroying their lives? I have no clue but regardless this guy has some serious crap to deal with. I'm not going to tell you the added additions to Roten's life here. You'll just have to wait for when I finally get it published.**


	32. Chapter 31

_**Okey dokey. Here's the next chapter. We are nearing the beginning of the end. **_

_**Callypso: Thank god. I'm ready for the ruinning of my life to be over.**_

_**Kat: Yep. That goes for all of us.**_

_**Dustfinger: Review.**_

Kat found herself sitting on the ground, just inside the door. She had meant to go find Callypso and she had ended up hearing something she probably shouldn't have. She had heard about Basta. About why he joined Capricorn, about why he stayed. But the worst part was she understood it. She had once pulled the trigger without a second thought or a guilty feeling in her blind revenge. But only on one person. Basta had killed a whole village. He _understood_.

"_Why wouldn't I kill you? I HATE you!"_

"_For the same reason you've only aimed to wound instead of kill ever since you blew out the back of Flatnose's head five years ago. The same reason you didn't shoot Cockerel before he shot you that night. Because you're afraid to kill. Because you're afraid you'll become a monster if you do again. Isn't that right, sweetheart?"_

"Why did it have to be him?" Kat whispered. "Why did he have to understand?"

The door opened and her head jerked up.

"You heard every word of that didn't you sweetheart?"

Kat turned slowly to the side to see Basta looking down at her. He looked irritated but not unbelievably angry. That was a good thing at least.

"Yeah." She muttered, looking away from him again. "I didn't mean to. I was just looking for Callypso and I heard."

"And stayed to listen." Basta said.

Kat opened her mouth to deny this but then closed it again. True, she had stayed to listen. She couldn't deny that.

Basta was silent for another moment before he sighed. "Why are you crying sweetheart?"

"I'm not crying!"

Basta's mouth twitched. "I would check that again because you look like you are."

Kat reached up a hand to her face and felt wetness on her cheeks. She let out a choked laugh. "Fuck, I am crying. When did that start?"

"Maybe when you figured out I understand your revenge complex better than you thought." Basta said.

Kat looked up at him again. "I… maybe. I just." She shook her head and looked away again. "God why did have to be _you_ who understands?"

"It must be annoying." Basta said. "I'll leave you to comprehend it."

"W-wait!" Kat got quickly to her feet.

Basta stopped and glanced over his shoulder at her.

"I promised Jo something. Actually it was a promise we made each other and now she's backed me into a corner." Kat swallowed. "I promised that if she ever forgave Dustfinger… which she did just before she died… that I would," The next words were hard to get out of her mouth. She so badly wanted to run away right now. "Forgive you."

Basta raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Yes." Kat said. "And I can't… I can't not go through with that when she's dead. I really thought she never would forgive Dustfinger, maybe that's why I made that bargain in the first place. But she did so…" Kat bowed her head. "I forgive you Basta. I should have done it a long time ago and I'm sorry. You saved Callypso on a number of times and…" she gritted her teeth. "And you saved my life too. So you have a clean slate with me now. I forgive you."

Basta observed her for a long time before he smirked and shook his head. "And those are words I never expected to come out of your mouth."

"They taste like vinegar, trust me." Kat muttered.

"Well, it doesn't matter." He said. "Your forgiveness is accepted and you can relax knowing you never have to save those words again."

"Thank god." Kat groaned. "I _hate _admitting I'm _wrong_."

"So I noticed." Basta said. "…Thank you."

Then he walked away.

Kat sighed and wandered over to the couch, sinking down slowly and staring up at the ceiling.

"There Jo. Promise kept. I hope you're happy." She murmured. "But I honestly prefer you to be here." The whirring of the ceiling fan was all that answered her she closed her eyes.

"Apologies are tiring. I think I'm going to sleep for a year."

* * *

It nighttime when they came. I hadn't even wandered off. I was sitting right on the porch, in very possible screaming distance were something to happen. True I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings but I didn't think I needed to. I thought they would wait for me to be lured away from the house if they found me at all.

That was the ideal situation but they were unfortunately bolder as I was only sitting just outside when a hand was suddenly over my mouth and another arm was around my waste, yanking me up and pulling me away from the place where all of my friends were. I kicked and struggled and tried as hard as I could to get away, my heart pounding in my ears. If I could just get my mouth free I could scream and they could still hear me but my captor kept a tight hold on my jaw. I couldn't shake my captors hold at all, he was too strong. It must have been Flatnose holding me. I tried to scream even past the hand but all sounds I made were too muted to be heard.

It wasn't until I was far away from the cabin that I was thrown hard to the ground. I gasped for air and coughed violently. The hand over my mouth had restricted my breathing a little too much.

"Wonderful of you to join us sweetheart."

I froze at Cockerel's voice and looked up to see him standing over me. He had a gun in one hand which he pointed casually at me. The sight of the weapon made rage rise up within me. That was the gun that had killed my friend.

As soon as I saw him I scrambled to my feet and tried to run but he caught me around the waist and pulled me swiftly back to him.

"No, no. No running." He murmured in my ear. "You're staying right here."

I shivered and swallowed hard. I had to get out of this. Somehow I had to get out of this.

"You know little writer you've been causing us so much trouble." Cockerel said softly, moving the pistol lightly across my forehead, brushing hair out of my face. "So much trouble. I'll be glad when I finally see you hang."

I tried to struggle away from him again but he caught my chin and turned my face roughly to the side so that I had to look at him. "Look at me princess. Wouldn't want to tempt me too much. I might send a bullet through your head a little too soon. You'll end up just like your friend."

"You son of a bitch." I hissed.

His grip tightened a bit on my chin and his grin widened dangerously. "I wouldn't start calling me names. It's because of you that she had to die you know."

I felt my heart lurch at this but I didn't let it show on my face. "Fuck you."

He merely laughed and stood, making a motion to Drake. "Knock her out will you?"

"With pleasure." Drake said.

My world flashed briefly, and I went limp in Cockerel's grip. Then everything went black.

Well, I was screwed.

* * *

_**She just has this problem with getting kidnapped. Oh well.**_

_**Now for original story news**_

__**ORIGINAL STORY: I don't have much to talk about when it comes to this chapter so instead I'm going to talk about something that wasn't in this book at all. And that is a character named Carson, a woman who cusses like a sailor, smokes like a chimney and has a severe case of bad assery. She happens to be the sister of Crow, the grade A asshole and her life's mission is basically to destroy him. She hates him with such a passion. I haven't added her yet because I just came up with her recently but I'm really looking forward to it. Her apperance will involve lots of gun fire and explosives. Which is the best way to make an entrance.**

**See you next time!**

_**REVIEW!**_


	33. Chapter 32

_**Ok, sorry it's been a bit. i've been stressed by school and stuff. but that's usually my excuse isn't it?**_

_**Callyspo: Yes.**_

_**Oh well! REVIEW!**_

Callypso wasn't sitting on the porch when Kat finally went to talk to her like she had meant to. She didn't know why. She had been there not that long ago. Concerned she stepped onto the porch and looked around. "Callypso!" She called out to the darkness.

No one answered.

Kat's heart was slowly dropping into her stomach. Where was Callypso? Why wasn't she answering? She hadn't come inside, Kat was sure of it.

"No." Kat whispered, hurrying back into the house. She ran to find someone and ended up running almost head long into Dustfinger. Dustfinger caught her arms and slowed her.

"Kat slow down." He said. "What's wrong?"

"Callypso's not outside. Did she come in?" Kat asked hurriedly. "And I didn't notice? Please tell me she's inside."

Dustfinger stared at her a moment before he shook his head. "No, Kat she's not."

Kat's worst fears were confirmed. "She's gone Dustfinger. Callypso's gone."

Basta evidentially heard this as well because he appeared suddenly from the other room and strode right past them in the hallway towards the back door. Kat followed after him and Dustfinger wasn't far behind her.

When she stepped outside, Basta was kneeling on the ground, next to the porch, his face grim.

"What is it?" Kat asked, jumping off of the porch. "What did you find?"

"This." Basta pointed to a deep imprint in the soil. A heavy foot print and a large one. "No one around here makes a footprint like that."

"Flatnose." Dustfinger said grimly. "It has to be."

"God damn it!" Kat threw her fist into a wall, splitting her knuckles on impact. "How did I not hear? I was right in the living room! I should have heard." She felt angry tears pricking at her eyes and she blinked hard. "Damn it."

"No sense in thinking about what we've should have done." Basta said. "They can't be far ahead. We'll just have to catch up to them."

"And if they make it to the village first?" Dustfinger asked.

"We'll think about that when it comes." Basta said after a pause. "Preferably, we'll stop her from getting her neck snapped." He stepped back onto the porch. "Get the others. We're leaving as soon as possible."

"Since when have you been in a hurry to save that girl?" Dustfinger asked lightly.

Basta raised an eyebrow, not really angered by this accusation. "After all of this trouble, I'm not going to let Capricorn get what he wants in the end. What he wants is her death. I have no choice but to keep that from happening."

* * *

I was in some sort of prison when I awoke. This was the first time I had ever been put in what actually looked like a real jail cell. It was either an upgrade or downgrade going from cow shed to storm shelter to real prison.

The smell was better at least.

On the negative side, I was here to await my execution. Hooray.

It was cold in the cell and my body ached. I guessed that Cockerel and the others hadn't tried to be gentle bringing me here. It took awhile after my waking up for the fear to start to set in.

I was going to die.

There was no getting out of it, I was going to die. I was trapped with no one else who might be able to free me and I was sure Capricorn would never let me escape. As this set in I drew in a shaky breath and pulled my knees up to my chest leaning against the wall.

How was it that after all of this time running from these people it was finally going to end badly? I had lost my father, my mother, my friend's brother, one of my best friends and my dog. I had almost lost Kat. Now after everything my own life was finally going up to the chopping block.

It truly scared me.

"I wish I had something to write with." I murmured. "Anything."

Something suddenly dawned on me and I looked at my finger where a thin white dot was all that remained of where I had poked my finger not long ago.

Blood would work.

Blindly I felt around the darkness of myself. I could see my hands but certainly not anything on the ground. My hand finally brushed over something, a bent nail. I grinned and pulled it up. Some people might say I'm desperate when I drew the point sharply across my hand.

Well I was.

Blood flowed immediately from the wound. It wasn't especially deep but it was enough. I dabbed my fingers quickly in the blood and began to write on the wall.

"_And for a moment the bars became like liquid, pliable and easy to move through. Callypso walked right through them almost as if they didn't exist at all."_

I dropped the nail as soon as I finished and got to my feet, hurrying over to the bars. It worked like a charm and I walked straight through them feeling only a cool sensation as I did. I reached the other side unharmed, grinning at my success. Then I hurried down the hall.

I almost ran into a few guards during my run, but I always seemed to find some miraculous hiding spot, behind an open door or in a conveniently placed corner. It's one of the few times that I can consider my luck good at all.

I only panic for a moment when I hear Cockerel's voice in the hall around the corner, freezing for a split second with fear. Then I grab out for the first door and jump into the room, closing the door as softly as possible behind me. The footsteps of him and some other guard move past my hiding spot, not suspecting a thing. I breathe a sigh of relief.

"What are you doing here?"

I whirled around at the voice of a girl and found myself staring right at a ten year old, sitting on the edge of a bed, looking at me with curious eyes.

"I uh…" I stared at her. _"Get a grip Callypso. She's just a kid." _I swallowed. "I'm a writer."

"Oh you're the old one aren't you?" The girl sighed as if this was boring information. "Yeah, I've heard of you. I'm supposed to _not _be like you. Except for my writing." She held up a piece of paper. "I'm a very good writer too."

"You're the other writer?" I breathed.

"Yes, yes." She nodded. "My name is Holly. Yours is Callypso. You shouldn't be here."

"Of course I shouldn't." I muttered.

"No, you should be back in your cell." Holly's calm voice and vacant face was really starting to creep me out. "My brother won't be happy if he finds you here. Not at all."

I suddenly remembered that Drake was the new writer's brother and I had a sudden urge to run very far away. I took a step back.

"Well you can't leave _now." _Holly said as if I was being stupid. You don't often hear that tone of voice from a ten year old like her. "If you leave you'll escape."

"That's the point." I said, reaching for the door.

"_Stay_." She commanded. Suddenly was immobile and I couldn't move an inch. My hand was frozen inches from the door handle.

She beamed in a way that might have looked cute on any other kid and held up her paper. "Experiment. Cool huh?"

"Not really." I muttered, trying to move but I couldn't no matter how hard I tried.

"I think it's cool." Holly said. "It doesn't last for very long because I'm a beginner but it lasts for long enough."

"Long enough meaning?" I asked slowly.

"Until my brother comes to get you."

My eyes widened. "Oh no, we're going to _not _do that."

"Sure we are." She beamed. "I don't want my brother to be angry that I let you go."

This kid was creepy. She knows that I'm probably headed to my death but she is totally in support of it. Though I shouldn't be surprised seeing as her brother _is _Drake.

"Just stay." Holly said, rocking back and forth on the bed. "He'll be here soon."

"You really like being here Holly?" I asked, groping desperately for some way to make her let me go.

"I like being wherever my brother is." Holly answered. "And nowhere else."

"You _like _him?" I blinked.

"Of course I like him. He's my brother." Holly's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Do you _not _like him?"

"Let's just say that me and him have had some _negative _experiences." I muttered. "In my mind."

"My brother is very good at what he does." Holly agreed.

Ok, this girl was messed up. Did she have any _idea _what exactly her brother was good at? If Drake was my older brother I would probably stay locked in my room all day.

"He's almost here." Holly murmured.

With one last effort I strained with all of my might against my invisible binding. Miraculously it gave and I spun around, flinging the door open—only to find myself looking at Drake.

"My sister wasn't lying when she said I was almost here." Drake smirked. "Sweetheart."

I stumbled back a few steps and tried to run, where I don't know, the window maybe, but he caught me around the waist and pulled me back to him. His other hand knotted in my hair and jerked my head back painfully against his shoulder.

"Ah, ah." He said. "No more of this resistance princess. There's nowhere left for you to go."

I shivered and closed my eyes. He chuckled and shook his head. "You've realized it too haven't you? That death is inevitable?" He removed his hand from my hair and moved it down to grab my wrist. He raised my hand to look at where I had cut myself. "Writing with blood hmm? Clever."

"Thanks." I growled.

"But for nothing I'm afraid. Maybe if you hadn't stopped by this room…" Drake said. "Well I doubt you would have escaped once you got out of the building anyway."

"Too many guards." Holly agreed, bobbing her head up and down.

"Yes." Drake said, releasing my hand and moving his hand up to rest on the back of my neck. "Thank you for delaying her Holly."

Holly beamed as if this was the best thing she could have ever heard from him.

"Now I'll take this one back to her cell." Drake said, tightening his hold on my neck. "And make sure she can find no other writing tools."

"Alright. Bye, bye brother!"

Drake nodded and pulled me from the room. Once out in the hall I tried once to struggled again but he grabbed my chin and twisted my face to look at him.

"Listen sweetheart, I know that you didn't at all like that last time I was in your mind." Drake said. "Just keep struggling and I promise you I will do it ten times over. And your mind reader friend is no longer here to save you."

"Don't you dare mention her!" I snapped.

Drake smirked "I'll mention whoever I so please Princess." He moved on finger along my jaw line sending shivers up my spine. "Now stop struggling."

With that he shoved me forward and moved me back to my cell.

Back to await my death.

* * *

_**Oh yes... Holly. Lovely girl. Now for original story news!**_

__**ORIGINAL STORY: So obviously this bit of news is going to be about dear Holly who is actually called Hannah in my original story. I had to change her name in this one because I named that other character Hannah (The one with the weird "Seeing other paths gifts") The Hannah in this fanfiction will not be in the original story so Hannah's name has been transfered to this character. Now Hannah is an exceedingly messed up little girl though not really of her own accord. It merely comes up from growing up with Drake as an older brother. She worships him and believes his way of thinking to be correct. Said way of thinking happens to be quite sadistic so you end up with quite a character.**

**Drake and Hannah have an interesting back story. They basically have been moved through four different foster families. Their foster parents always seem to be getting into strange accidents that Drake himself causes when he gets bored of his care takers. Hannah merely bends to his every whim, living under the delusion that her older brother knows all. It's a sad character but I enjoy writing about her in the small bit of page time she has.**

_**Thanks for reading and REVIEW!**_


	34. Chapter 33

_**Sorry it took so long but here's the next chapter!**_

_**I've gotten bored of writing this fanfiction when I like my Original story I'm afraid. I'll finish it but I'm afraid some scenes might seem a little lack luster. The plot is still there and that counts for something.**_

_**Enjoy this chapter!**_

It was the next night that Cockerel came and unlocked my cell. He was smirking so broadly. I knew he had been waiting a long time for this.

"Come on sweetheart. Everyone is waiting." He said.

Slowly I rose to my feet, looking him straight in the eye though inside my heart was pounding. I wanted to say that I had come to terms with this and I was ready to die. But I wasn't. I was still terrified. They didn't have to know that though.

As I reached the door, Cockerel took me by the back of my neck and steered me forward down the hall. I walked as quickly as possible to keep pace with him and keep myself from being dragged to my execution.

In about ten minutes I would be dead.

It's amazing how much more I started to envy life when I was only moments from death.

* * *

The hill gave them a good enough view of Capricorn's village. It was tall, set way above everything else and guarded by short, thick trees, just tall enough to hide them all when they stood. It was a perfect place to hid and plan. Most guard didn't venture up the hill because of how steep it was and when they did most were huffing and puffing and exhausted enough to take out no problem. Farid tied any of those guards up to one of the trees and gagged them so that they wouldn't be able to draw any attention to the group.

William had put his skills with sneaking and stealing to use. He had gotten the group a very nice supply of guns. Large guns that made Kat grin as she ran her eyes over them. She held several in her hand, deciding which one she liked best.

The other adults were arguing about how best to move in and interrupt the execution. Dustfinger was sure that fire would work the best and Basta, though he seemed to the hate the idea of any flames being near him was slowly beginning to concede that he was right.

"It worked the last time we interrupted an execution." Mo nodded. "Drew off half of the men to stop it. It will help our chances."

"We set it far away from the fight then." Basta said.

"I can take care of it." William said. "Leave the fire business to me. Burning things down is my specialty. Once I start it I'll come help with the fight."

"Fair enough." Dustfinger said. "So what about freeing Callypso?"

"If we want the element of surprise it has to be a last minute attack." Basta said. "The execution will probably be a hanging so someone has to set her free _fast _before they drop her."

"We can shoot the rope." Meggie said suddenly. "An accurate shot will snap the rope."

"But a non accurate shot will mean her death." Mo pointed out.

Kat rolled her eyes. "What do you take me for? I never miss a shot that I don't want to. Ask anyone in my class."

The adults exchanged uneasy glances before Mo shrugged. "It could work."

"Well whatever we decide, decided it quickly." Elinor broke into the conversation. "It looks like the men are gathering in the square. The execution will start soon."

"Alright. I trust Kat well enough to have good aim." Dustfinger said.

"Fine." Basta said. He stood and went over to the pile of guns and picked up what looked like a sniper rifle and handed it to Kat. "You can shoot one of these?"

"Of course." Kat said, taking the gun. "I can shoot anything with a trigger."

"Good." Basta said. "I suppose I don't have to tell you not to miss."

"Not at all." Kat said evenly.

"Go start the fire William." Dustfinger was saying. "Hurry."

"Right on it!" William saluted him and ran.

Meggie knelt down and picked up a gun, rolling it around in her hand. "I've never shot at people before. Just targets."

"I know." Kat said. "But…" She thought of something to say and eventually found herself speaking words that she hadn't even thought of before she said them. "If it's to save someone else, if it's the only way to protect someone else or yourself then you have to. You can't let yourself be afraid. Like I am now. Keep yourself… but shoot the gun anyway." She smiled faintly. "Just to save Callypso."

Meggie nodded and smiled back, clutching the gun to her chest.

"Find a good spot to shoot from sweetheart." Basta said from behind her. "Capricorn has just found his seat. It won't be long until Callypso is brought out now."

Kat stood and nodded. "Alright."

* * *

You contemplate many seemingly unimportant things in the worst of situations. Like when Capricorn had time to build a gallows. Why did no one get suspicious of that when he got the materials? Did he build it just for me? Did being hung drag out the death a lot? Was there any hope in the rope breaking before I fell? Was there any way I could make a last minute break through crowds of hundred black jackets without getting shot?

Like I said, stupid questions.

I couldn't help it though. Even though I wanted to contemplate important things right now my mind was racing so much I couldn't stay on one topic for more than a second. I couldn't focus on anything, not even on the gallows in the center of the square or the men looking at me, some of them smirking, some them looking solemn or on Cockerel behind me, shoving me forward none to gently.

A few times I was able to focus for a moment on that of my friends. I wondered if they had been coming to save me. I wondered what would happen if they got here and found out I was already dead. Such grave matters were instantly shoved out by those trivial and random questions soon after they crossed my mind.

I came into view of Capricorn just before reaching the gallows. He seemed so happy in a terrifyingly angry sort of way that I was finally going to die. The look of distaste he cast me didn't have much effect on me tonight even though it had been five years since I had laid eyes on him last. I was proud of myself for staring back at him, chin raised in defiance.

Why should I be afraid of him any more if my fate had already been sealed?

"Callypso Moon." He spoke when the square had fallen silent. "You have been without a doubt the most troublesome girl I've ever had to deal with."

What an honor.

"Fortunately that ends tonight after so long." Capricorn gave a cold smile. "Tell me, was it worth the deaths of your friends who have died to protect you?"

I said nothing. I just glared back at him.

Capricorn waved his hand at Cockerel. "I see no need to delay this any further."

Cockerel nodded and shoved me towards the gallows, because I was so obviously incapable of walking myself. Only when the noose was slipped around my head did my legs start to tremble a bit.

"I've been waiting a long time for this." Cockerel murmured in my ear. "To see you swing princess." He tightened the noose and I choked a bit. Cockerel smirked and patted my shoulder mockingly. "Well then. Goodbye little writer."

Then he jumped from the gallows and went to stand among the other men.

The man meant to drop me to my death waited for Capricorn for the signal. When Capricorn raised his hand he reached for the lever.

The next moments moved in slow motion. The man seemed to take an eternity to push the lever down as what I sure were my last few seconds alive passed. I closed my eyes and waited.

Just before the trap door began to give below me I heard an ear shattering bang and as I fell I found that the rope didn't catch me. I just dropped straight to the ground landing hard on my side and gasping for breath.

And then hell broke loose.

* * *

**Original Story News:**

**Well I finally pulled book two out of the closet, dusted off and sat down to read it. i'm about done with my first edit now and then will focus on more heavily editing book one and writing book 3. A word on this scene, this last fight scene is alot shorter than the one in my original story, partially because I'm getting lazy, partially because there are less characters. The fight scene in my original story will be pure epicness because of the cool fight scenes. But in the case of this fanfiction my characters aren't as well written and it isn't as well set up.**

**Hopefully I'll be able to get book 1 published soon. My goal is to get it published before I graduate high school so... yeah. let's hope that happens.**


	35. Chapter 34

_**Alright so since its been so long... like a month or two... I've made this chapter much longer than the others. Most of the fight scene is in here so there's lots of action!**_

_**Stay tuned for original story news afterwards!**_

* * *

I am by no means exaggerating when I say all hell broke loose. It seemed, simultaneously, a fire rose up in the distance just like it did nine years ago at the last execution I sat at, and a hell storm of bullets rained down on the valley. From where I lay on my side I could see the men starting to run around in chaos, unsure at what to shoot at.

Lay on my side was all I could do however as my hands were still tightly bound behind my back and I was having some difficulty getting up. I could only stare wide eyed at the action around me and hope that I remained as lifeless and as unnoticeable as a dead slug.

I nearly jumped out of my skin when I felt someone grab my hands and immediately tried to roll away.

"It's alright sweetheart. It's only me."

"Basta." I breathed. "Oh Thank God."

"Hold still." He said. I heard the sound of his knife flicking open and he sawed quickly through the rope that bound my hands. A few moments later my hands were freed and I quickly sat up.

"Thanks."

He nodded and pressed a pistol into my hand. "Take this but try to stay out of the cross fire. I know you're not good with a gun."

I flushed. "Yeah, guess that's true."

There was a gunshot and a bullet drove a crater into the ground a few inches from my hand. I jumped away.

"Shit!"

"Try to get used to the gunfire too." Basta smirked. "If you can, make it to the woods unless you're so stubborn that you want to stay behind and help."

"I am feeling pretty stubborn." I mused.

"Fine then. Don't die. Your friend wouldn't be too happy with you if you did that, especially when she went to all the trouble to save your life."

"She shot the rope down?" I asked. "I'm not surprised. She had to wait till the last minute didn't she?"

"Stop getting kidnapped and you won't have to worry about almost dying." Basta said. "I'm going to help the others."

"Alright. Thank you, again." I said.

He nodded and then darted back onto the confused battle ground.

I crawled out from under the gallows and shakily cocked the pistol. I wasn't sure if I was going to have to shoot someone or if I did have to if I would be able to pull the trigger. Basta didn't think I was capable of killing someone. I wasn't sure whether or not he was right.

The power to take a life is a scary thing. Thinking about completely ending someone's existence made me shiver but I just couldn't afford to think like that. I might have to kill some people if I myself was going to live.

Some of my friends must have been shooting from above because I saw men dropping with no discernable murderer. At least we had the higher ground if not the numbers.

Twice a man almost shot me and twice and barely managed to move out of the way and shoot them in the shoulder or the side, wounding but not killing. It was enough to allow me time to get away of course.

It was then that I saw Cockerel in the crowd, not fighting but moving slowly away. Maybe he was worried Basta might find him, I don't know, but it looked like he was about to start running.

No. I would not allow him to run. He killed my friend and almost killed my other friend. He had shot too many people close to me for me to let him get off. If I let him get away then the book would remain open. He could come back. The book needed to close forever. There could be no loose ends.

I had to kill him.

For the first time I found myself truly and seriously contemplating killing someone and I cocked my pistol. I had four bullets left. Then I ran after him as he backed into the woods.

* * *

Kat didn't know what exactly possessed Callypso to run after Cockerel. After all, Callypso knew well that she couldn't fight. Was she really so rage driven that all common sense flew out the window? Maybe.

But she couldn't let that happen. She couldn't let her best friend, the only thing she had left, be killed just like Jo. She would _not _let that happen.

Unfortunately she was very preoccupied at the moment, trying to keep about five of Capricorn's men off of her tail. Instead she turned to the nearest available person for help.

"Basta!" She called. "Hey!"

"What?" He asked, kicking one of the black jackets in the face.

"Callypso just ran after Cockerel. I think she's trying to kill him." Kat said.

"God damn it that girl is stubborn. Has she lost her mind?" Basta cursed.

"He killed Jo. I might've done the same thing." Kat muttered. "But there is a huge difference between me and Callypso." She jumped back out of a punch from a black jacket. "Shit!"

"Keep on your group." Basta said. "I'll get her."

"Thanks." Kat smacked her hand across one's face and kicked another between the legs. He crumpled. "Basta… don't let her die." She managed to catch his eye. "Don't you dare let her die."

"I won't." Then he was gone, running through the crowd and towards the woods.

Kat lost sight of them and went back to her own fight.

"_Damn it" _she thought. _"This probably means I have to take out Capricorn."_

* * *

Cockerel must have heard me coming because he was waiting for me when I turned the corner. I barely managed to duck behind the trunk of a tree to avoid getting shot.

"Don't tell me you're actually going to try and kill me princess." Cockerel called. "You don't stand a chance against me!"

I swallowed hard and cocked by gun. I needed to get some sort of high ground. I looked up at the tree I was hiding behind. I could climb that. The dark was my friend as I scrambled up the tree as quickly and quietly as possible. It masked me from Cockerel's gaze.

"None of your friends stand a chance." He continued. "They never did. You're still just a child. You can't even shoot a gun properly." I was climbing out onto one of the thick branches that stretched over Cockerel's head when my restraint broke at his next words. "Your friend couldn't do much either. She was so easy to kill because she wouldn't use her gift to defend herself. She was weak."

I did the stupid thing. I grabbed onto the branch and swung down, nailing Cockerel right in the face with both of my feet. He staggered back and I aimed my gun at him. But I was off balance. Only one of my shots grazed his shoulder. The other hit only darkness.

"Bitch." Cockerel swung his arm and caught me across the face. I fell to the ground, my head spinning. Before I could regain myself Cockerel seized me by the hair and yanked me up. My back hit a thick tree trunk _hard. _I would have just slid back to the ground but Cockerel caught me by the throat and pinned me to the trunk. His gun was level with my temple.

"I'm glad your execution was interrupted princess." He hissed, leaning his face close to mind. "That means I get to kill you myself." I opened my mouth to scream but he clamped a hand over my jaw. "No one is going to hear you scream sweetheart. Your friends are all fighting in the square. None of them will be able to get here fast enough. You shouldn't have followed me." He laughed and clicked back the safety on his gun. "Not that I'm complaining." He leaned forward so that his lips were right next to my ear. "Good bye little writer."

I shuddered and closed my eyes.

Then suddenly Cockerel was knocked away from me. The gun fired harmlessly into the air. Slowly I slid to the ground, drawing in deep gulps of air.

"You!" Cockerel snarled. "You always have the worst timing!"

"Or the best."

My eyes widened. It was Basta! I had never been so glad to see him in my life. Basta stood a little ways in front of me, two blades in his hands. He glanced sideways at me. "You alright sweetheart?"

I nodded wordlessly.

"I can't believe you of all people would protect that girl." Cockerel growled.

Basta shrugged. "That doesn't matter now. If you want to kill her you'll just have to kill me first." He raised his knives. "But I it's doubtful that you'll be able to manage that."

Cockerel let out a snarl and lunged at Basta.

* * *

Kat wasn't sure how, but she managed to make her way to the foot of Capricorn's throne. Beside him stood Drake, his green eyes glowing with un-tempered malice.

"I'll take care of this one sir." Drake said, descending from the platform. "She won't be too hard to handle."

"I might surprise you." Kat growled, taking a step back and readying her gun.

"I doubt it." Drake grinned.

Pain shot through Kat's body and she fell to her knees, gasping.

Drake walked closer to her and knelt down and front of her. "No one ever surprises me sweetheart. People are predictable and weak. You cannot contend with me." Kat felt a hand on her head. Fingers twisted themselves in her hair and her face was yanked up. She was staring right into his eyes now. He cupped her cheek in his hand and she shivered. "Do you know how easy it is to kill someone with my gift? Very easy. All I have to do is make your mind go dead." Kat shut her eyes tightly.

"Get the Hell away from her!" Kat opened her eyes in time to see William slam into Drake with a force that sent them both rolling. William came up standing and Drake in a crouch opposite him. Kat was struck by the similarity of their appearance. The eyes were the only difference. Otherwise they were identical.

"Oh yes, you." Drake grinned. "My dear brother. You always had an empty head didn't you? Not like me. You were the foolish one of the family. You got all the brawn and none of the intelligence."

"Yeah?" William growled. "Well you know the good thing about an empty head? It means there's not many thoughts for you to latch onto. It gives you less control over me because I'm really good at making my mind go blank." He raised his hand. "So burn."

He shot a jet of fire at Drake who staggered out of the way. His face twisted into a snarl as he tried to invade William's mind. But William wasn't letting him in.

"Burn." William shot another blast of fire at him and Drake staggered out of the way again. This time his sleeve was singed.

The blasts of flame continued and Drake continued to stumble away from the fire. Until at last, William rushed forward at him, taking him by surprised. He twisted Drake's arm behind his back and brought him to his knees. And though he struggled Drake could not break away from his twin's grasp.

"Kat!" William called. "Kill Capricorn! Kill the bastard who started all of this!"

Kat stared at him for a minute, wide eyed then looked to Capricorn who was still seated on his throne. He was smiling.

"You can't do it can you girl?" Capricorn said. "I saw you that night. I saw you kill Flatnose. But since then you've been having a lot more trouble with killing. You're too weak to kill."

"Do it Kat!" William said. "It's not like that this time! You have to! Or else this will all start over again."

For a moment Kat heard Jo's voice in her head, clear as day. _"You aren't like them Kat. I promise you. You made a mistake. But next time I know you'll do the right thing. Next time, if you kill, it will be out of necessity not revenge."_

"It's true." Kat murmured. "I've been afraid to kill since that day. Because I didn't want to become like one of you devils." Her hands were shaking around her gun. "But if I can't… you'll never leave us alone. You'll never leave Callypso alone and I could lose her too. I can't lose anyone again." She looked at Capricorn. "I'm not doing this out of revenge. I'm doing this to protect the people I care about. This has nothing to do with you. Only them." The smile was fading from Capricorn's face. Kat clicked back the safety on her gun.

"I'm doing it for the right reasons this time Jo." She whispered.

Then she lunged. Capricorn tried to flee from his throne but Kat was in front of him before he could even raise himself fully from his seat. She leveled her gun with his forehead and pulled the trigger.

Capricorn toppled from his chair, never to speak again.

* * *

I watched the fight with wide eyes. They moved quickly on the makeshift battlefield. The shadows often obscured them. It was only from the gleam of the knife and gun that I could make them out some times. Cockerel was furious and Basta was surprisingly calm. They were both quick. They were both good. I was holding my breath the entire time.

With a well-practiced slash Basta sent Cockerel's gun spinning up into the darkness. He caught it before it hit the ground and leveled it with Cockerel's temple.

Cockerel was breathing heavily. His eyes were filled with hate. "So this is where it ends huh? With you, the treacherous dog gunning down the loyal one."

Basta smirked and shook his head. "A dog? No. For the first time in a very long time I feel as if I'm far more than a dog."

"Huh." Cockerel ducked under the gun shot and jammed his fist into Basta's stomach. Basta staggered back out of the way as Cockerel pulled another gun from his belt and tried to shoot him. Basta rolled out of the way and ended up behind Cockerel.

He shot him in the back before he could even turn around.

Cockerel pitched forward and into the dark. I didn't see where he fell. I stared straight ahead for a long time until Basta sighed and came over to me.

"That was stupid sweetheart."

I looked up at him sheepishly. "Yeah, I know."

He smirked and shook his head. "You are stubborn." He took me by the arm and helped me to my feet. "Even if you were good with a gun, I still don't think you would have killed him."

"Guess I'll never know." I said. "Uh... thanks alot. I… well I thought he was going to kill me. I really did."

"You're lucky your friend saw you run after him or he would have." Basta said. "So you're alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." I nodded. "Just a little shaken."

"Yes, I can tell. You're trembling." Basta smirked.

I flushed and looked down. "We should go back."

Basta nodded. Suddenly a voice cut through the air.

"You shouldn't take your eyes off your opponent Basta."

I didn't even have time to think. I thought I saw the gleam of a gun in the darkness. Just as a shot rang out I felt Basta shove me to the ground. I hit the dirt with a force that drove the air from my lungs.

I looked up in time to see Basta fall back and land beside me on the ground, a bloody rose sprouting over the front of his white shirt.

* * *

_**Yeah... I definetly just did that. I shot Basta...**_

_**MWAHAHA!**_

** Original Story News: So the fight scene is actually much longer in the other book. It spans over several chapters because there are more characters. Basically, Kat and Lana go up against Kronehelm who actually fights, unlike Capricorn. William, Jack and Molly go up against Drake who is also far more bad ass and evil and you definetly get satisfaction from watching him die. Crow actually grabs Callypso, she doesn't seek him out because that's out of character for her in the stories and Jake fights Crow first but then Roten steps in. And yes, Roten does die. Even though he is my favorite I end up killing him off. It makes me very sad but I had to. Consequently Lana ends up dying as well.**

**So yeah, lots of fun. I'm 314 pages into book 3 right now! Twenty three more chapters to write...Ugh... this is going to be a long one.**

**There are two chapters and an epilouge after this so REVIEW!**


	36. Chapter 35

_**La de da! I'm back after that terrible cliff hanger!**_

_**Now cry my dear readers CRY!**_

Time seemed to slow down. For a while I could only stare at Basta in shock. He had been shot. He was bleeding. That just didn't seem to be real. Basta _couldn't _have been shot. He was… he was too fast. He couldn't have been.

I heard pained laughter from across the clearing and I looked up to see Cockerel lowering his gun. He was standing, his arm around his middle. I could see that he was bleeding too. But his wound wasn't immediately fatal. It was through his stomach. "Basta never was as good with a gun." He staggered forward, closer to me. I was rooted on the spot. If I ran I could get away from him but I couldn't will myself to leave Basta.

I felt Basta's hand brush mine and I looked down to see two knives there. He was looking at me though he said nothing. I knew what I had to do. I could read the message in his eyes. Slowly I picked up the first knife and looked at Cockerel.

He laughed. "What are you planning to do with that princess? You've never used a knife a day in your life. You gonna throw that? You'll miss."

"I know." I murmured. Then I hurled the knife at him.

It didn't hit him at all. It went way past his shoulder. But I hadn't meant for it to hit him. He turned to watch it fly past him all the same. "Nice try sweetheart but not even-"

He didn't see me as I rushed towards him with speed I didn't know I possessed. He didn't see the gleam of the second knife in my hand. Not until he turned back around. But by then my knife was raised and I had brought the blade across his throat in a clean slash. His words were choked off by blood.

Cockerel stared at me for a moment in absolute shock. He coughed a sick, gurgling cough and then the light left his eyes. He toppled backwards into the shadows.

* * *

Kat inhaled and exhaled many times after she ended Capricorn's life. She did not feel a stab of guilt when she did. Only relief. Sweet relief. She looked back at William who smiled at her despite the fact that he was still trying to restrain Drake.

"Damn it! Let me go!" Drake snarled. Gone was his smug smile. Now he looked more like a raging animal.

"Should we kill him too?" Kat asked.

William looked down at his brother, indecision crossing his face. "I… yes but I don't think..."

"What, can't kill your own blood?" Drake cackled. "I should expect that. You're weak."

"I'll do it." Kat looked over to see Dustfinger approaching. He cocked a gun. "You don't have to William. I can take care of it."

William nodded slowly and pushed Drake away from him. He joined Kat on the platform and looked away from the scene. Kat put a hand on his shoulder.

There was a pause as Dustfinger aimed. Then he fired. Drake fell, his blood joining Capricorn's on the ground. Then he exhaled and tossed the gun away from him.

It was only now that Kat realized just how quiet it was. The fighting in the square had stopped. The remaining black jackets looked at them with a mix of both fear and admiration

Their leader was dead. Many of them weren't sure what to do now.

"Go on!" Kat called. "You can go now! He's dead for good this time. Get out of here."

And many of them obeyed her. They looked between each other and then walked away from the field. None of them seemed to want to risk their life anymore when there was no one to risk it for.

"Brother?" A soft voice came from across the field. Kat turned to see a girl coming out of the red building, her eyes wide. William went pale at the sight of her.

"Brother what are you…?" She stopped when she caught William's eyes. "You're… not him."

William swallowed hard. "I am your brother. Just… a different brother."

"Where's my other brother?" the girl asked. Her eyes were narrowed. "Where is he?"

"He's dead." Dustfinger was finally the one to say it. It would only be a matter of time before the girl saw the body anyway. "He was shot during the fighting."

The girl stared at him for a long time, trying to take in his words. Kat saw tears start to leak into her eyes. "You're lying." She hissed. "You're lying. My brother can't die. He would never die. You're lying!" Her eyes went to the body on the ground just in front of William and Kat.

"Drake?"

The girl's teeth clenched and tears streamed down her face. She whipped around to look at William. "Did you kill him?"

"I..." William seemed to have trouble speaking. Kat knew this must be his sister.

"It's your fault." She hissed. From her pocket she pulled a crumpled piece of paper. "I will kill you for him." Then she slammed the paper against the ground and started to write.

"Wait." William said. "Holly! You don't want to do that!"

The girl didn't pay him any mind. She kept writing.

"Holly stop!" William said. "If you write death you'll only-"

But at that moment the pen fell from Holly's hand. Her eyes went wide and blank and she fell forwards. Her attempt at writing had sucked all the life from her body and left her as cold and pale as her brother.

* * *

The knife slipped from my hands and buried itself in the dirt. My hands were shaking like leaves in the wind. I had never killed someone before. But somehow, it didn't feel wrong.

I heard a sound that might have been a laugh from behind me. But it was weak.

"I stand corrected."

I turned to see Basta pushing himself up against a tree as if trying to use it to get up. I hurried over.

"N-No don't move. You'll just make it worse." I said, dropping down beside him.

"Either way that's not going to matter now." He muttered, but he stopped moving anyway.

"What are you talking about?" I asked. "Y-you're going to be fine."

Basta sighed and shook his head. "No, sweetheart. I'm not."

"Y-yes you are. I'll go get help! I'll go get someone." I tried to stand but Basta caught my hand and pulled me back down.

"Don't… princess." He gritted his teeth in pain. "Just don't. It's alright."

"No it's not. I can't just… let you…" I could feel tears pressing at my eyes. Tears. Was I crying for Basta?

"Yes, you can. Honestly I should have died a long time ago." His hand tightened around mine. "Even if I did live, I have nowhere to go when all this is done."

I bit my lip so hard it bled. "Why is it… that after all the times I've wished you would die you never did? And yet now when you are dying… I really don't want you too?"

Basta almost smiled and looked up at the sky. "Bad luck I guess." He glanced at me. "Don't cry sweetheart. Not for me."

"I can't help it." I muttered. The tears were starting to slip down my cheeks. "Y-you pushed me out of the way and he shot you. He was going to shoot me. You saved my life. And n-now-"

"Callypso. It's _alright_."

I stopped and stared at him. My name still sounded weird coming from his mouth.

"I had to push you out of the way." He smirked. "Your friend would have killed me if I let you die."

True, she probably would. But I didn't care.

Basta's breath was getting fainter. I could see that he was slipping.

"Don't die," I said desperately.

"Can't do much about it now."

"Please."

He must have seen my desperation because he exhaled and held out one arm. "Come here princess."

My head fell against his shoulder as my tears continued. He wrapped on arm around me in a weak hug.

"You are a strange one sweetheart." He murmured. "You shouldn't have ever forgiven me."

"I don't care." I hissed. "You've made up for what you've done. You _have_."

"…Thank you." He said. His voice was barely more than a whisper. He pushed me away from him and smiled. "I think I'm glad I knew you…Callypso."

Then his eyes slid closed and his hand went limp in mine. I slowly lowered his arm on his chest and looked up at the sky with wet eyes. The sky was growing pink and morning was fast approaching.

It was going to be a beautiful sunrise.

* * *

_**Only one more chapter and the epilogue. I think I'll upload them at the same time though just to end it.**_

** But I will still love this series forever with great passion. Oh yeah, and if you cried at _this _little scene, trust me. Roten's death is going to be even more sad. Like tragic. My friend says she probably won't talk to me for a week after she reads his death. Pretty adament. I've made a lot of scene adjustment lately and I added new characters. Like Callypso's father is alive now... sort of. It's debateable. He's not fully there and he will only remain as long as Kronehelm is alive but he's there. He also has a new batch of creations that are bad ass shape shifters including Rae, Sarah and Jeremy. There's also a musician named Holly who can create emotions within people with music. Lots of interesting tension going on there!**

**_THAT'S ALL FOR NOW! Thanks for sticking with me this long and REVIEW!_**


	37. Chapter 36

**_ALright, here's the last chapter. I uploaded it with the epilogue so you can read them both. Enjoy!_  
**

The city had started to empty by the time I broke through the woods. In the distance a red sun peaked over the horizon, lighting the battle field. There were many bodies but none of those belonged to my other friends.

The Folcharts stood together at one end of the field. Mo had Resa under his arm and was listening to Elinor rant about "Too much excitement for a lifetime". Meggie stood beside them, talking a laughing with Farid.

I looked around for Dustfinger, William and Kat but I didn't spot them immediately. Instead another face greeted me.

"Uh… hey, Callypso."

I turned to see Conner standing behind me, rubbing a hand behind his head.

"Conner." I said. "You're alive."

"Uh, yeah, so are you." Conner said. "Look I'm sorry about leading them to you and everything but I didn't have choice. They would have killed me if I-"

"Don't worry about it Conner." I said. "It's fine. Look, as far as I'm concerned we have a clean slate now. So long as you don't try calling me names anymore."

"Right. No more names." Conner nodded. "So… I guess I should leave." He looked around the place. "I've been here for a while now. It's weird just being able to walk away. I can..." An idea occurred to him. "I can go back to my family."

"Yeah." I smiled.

"Ok." He backed away, waving his hand in farewell. "Well, see you around."

I watched him walk away until he was gone. Then I turned back to the scene and went off to find my friends. A few black jackets passed me and I tensed when they looked my way. Then they just nodded and walked away. Some didn't acknowledge me at all. That was fine by me.

Capricorn lay dead by his throne and Drake with him. Flatnose was dead too. Every black jacket I knew by name was gone. Including Cockerel.

And including Basta.

But I couldn't consider him a black jacket anymore. He had long cleared his record.

I turned the corner to go around the red building, trying to find my other friends. I certainly found two of them. Kat and William were standing there in firm embrace, their lips locked. It was a very passionate kiss and I suddenly wanted to back away. I slipped back around the corner to give them privacy.

"The same thing happened to me."

I jumped and whirled around to see Dustfinger standing there. He was grinning.

"Yeah." I said. "So are you alright?"

"As well as I'll ever be." Dustfinger nodded. "I'm glad its over." He looked around. "So where's Basta?"

My heart dropped. "Basta…he…" I swallowed hard. "He's dead."

Dustfinger stared at me. "How?"

"We thought Cockerel was dead but he wasn't. He tried to shoot me and… Basta pushed me out of the way." I said slowly, trying to keep myself together. "Cockerel's dead too now but Basta was shot. He… died."

"I see." Dustfinger said after a pause, he turned something behind his back in his hands before he handed it to me. It was the book. It was Inkheart.

The book that had started everything.

"It's the last copy. You may do with it what you wish." Dustfinger said. "I would recommend burning it to ashes but… you can read it as well, if you want." He shrugged. "You could ask Silvertongue to bring Basta back too."

For a moment this seemed like a very good idea. Bringing him back. Death didn't matter in this world. They always existed in the words. But at last I shook my head. "No. I don't want to risk bringing out anyone else. There's been enough misery centered around this book. Besides." I looked up at the horizon. "He was fine with it. Dying I mean. It was the first time I actually saw him smile instead of smirk." I looked back down at the book. "And I don't want to read it either. I know enough about you guys from real life. I don't need a story. I'd rather just burn it and be done with it."

Dustfinger nodded and smiled. "Fair enough."

He snapped his fingers and kindled a small fire between us. I started to drop the book but then I stopped. "What about you Dustfinger? You want to go back to your world don't you? If I burn this then you'll never be able to."

"No." He agreed. "But I have a feeling that the story has long moved on without its characters. And like you said, you don't want to take risks. I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?" I asked.

By way of answer he gently pulled the book from my hands and let it drop into the fire. The flames greedily ate up the pages, burning the words to ashes.

A feeling of relief came over me. Like a cool drink of water. I exhaled and smiled. "It's over."

"Yes." Dustfinger said. "You did it. You ended it."

"With your help too." I hugged him tightly. He staggered for a moment, surprised. Then he wrapped his arms around me in return.

"I suppose. But I hurt you a lot too." He said.

"Doesn't matter." I said. "In the end you always came back." I pulled away from him. "So thank you."

"You're welcome." He smiled. "You're a strong girl Callypso. And you're a good writer."

"Thanks." I grinned.

"Callypso?"

I turned to see Kat and William standing beside the red brick building. Kat broke out into a huge grin.

"YOU'RE ALIVE!"

She hurled herself at me with familiar Kat like enthusiasm, almost knocking me to the ground.

"I thought you were _dead_." She exclaimed. "You went after Cockerel and I thought I was never going to see you again."

"I'm alive." I assured her as I detached her from my body. "Promise. I'm real."

She beamed. "So what happened? Did you kill Cockerel? Or did Basta because he went after you." She looked around. "Come to think of it, where is he?"

"Dead." I said. "He was shot."

Kat stared at me for a long time before she looked down at the ground. "Oh."

"It's fine." I said. "He was fine I mean. He seemed… at peace I guess. He saved my life."

Kat bit her lip. "I'm glad. I wish… I could thank him though."

"Yeah." I said. "But its over now. We won."

"Yeah it's over." William grinned. "And it feels _great_. I feel like I could start flying right now! It's perfect!"

His happiness was contagious. We all started to smile.

I did feel free. For the first time I felt completely… right.

No words can describe that perfect feeling when you close one book in your life and open another.

We stood there in the city watching the sun rise. Then we took the remaining cars back. At the next town over we parted ways. The Folcharts went one way in one car and we would go the other. There were many tears and goodbyes. We exchanged numbers and promised to keep in touch this time, even if an ocean separated us.

Dustfinger left us there too. I knew it would be harder to find him because he was so detached from technology but he smiled and assured me that he would find us again. This wouldn't be the last time we met.

William came back with Kat and I. He said he had nowhere else to go and since he had taken such a liking to my friend they didn't want to separate.

It was strange going home after all this time. I felt different when I walked through the door of our apartment. Only a month ago, Cockerel had stormed through this door to catch me again. Now he was dead and so were all of my enemies.

There were other things different. I knew that Jo wouldn't call us every Tuesday night and getting used to William would be interesting. It was just odd seeing Kat kiss someone. I don't know why.

Something still felt unfinished though. There was still a door left unclosed. It wasn't until I sat down at my computer a week after my return that I realized what.

Yes, there was one thing I had left to do.

* * *

_**Now just the epilogue left. Enjoy. I'll do original story news there.**_


	38. Epilogue

**_The final chapter. Enjoy my loyal readers!_  
**

**Epilogue**

My fingers flew across the key board with new found determination. Gone was my writers block. I could finish my series now. I would write it all down to keep my thoughts straight.

I saw it all in my head again as I wrote. As clear as day. Sometimes it made me happy and sometimes it made me cry. Kat helped me sometimes as I typed late into the night.

People would ask me where I got my inspiration from after it was published. They would ask me how I decided to do what I did.

"_It's like searching for memories." _I'd say. _"And putting them down. It just unfolds. I can't explain it. You never can."_

The dice have been rolled, the last turn has been taken. I have finally finished this part of my story.

There was blood and tears and sorrow but there was far more than that. It wasn't just the bad things. So much more came with it. Friends, laughter, joy… they all mingle together in my head as one piece.

One grand memory.

I wouldn't be alive today if it hadn't been for my friends. If it hadn't been for Kat or Jo or William or Dustfinger… or Basta. I owe them my life.

And I treasure it.

Some people are meant to finish the game. Some aren't.

But I did make it. I crossed the finish line. Against all odds I came to the end of my story.

So I count myself lucky.

_**And it's done... Wow. After years of writing, all the way since 7th grade, I'm finally done. Thanks for sticking with me this long folks!**_

**Original Story News: I'm currently, heavily editing book one in preperation for querying agents this summer. This fic will stay up until I get an agent and then I take it off for obvious reasons. But don't fret because my original stories will be far better than this. If I delete this fic, you'll know I'm going to be published soon and I'll post info on my profile page.**

**As always, thanks for sticking with me so long. I love you all!**

**And for one last time REVIEW in three parts**

**1) Your favorite character**

**2) Review just this chaper**

**3) Review the whole series**

******Thanks!**


	39. Announcement: My new blog!

**A/N: ****Hello my loyal readers! No this isn't an update and I haven't decided to suddenly continue the story. But don't go away! Because I do have a few things to say to you guys.**

**Even though this fic is over and I'm having a little trouble with my other ones right now (Due to busy summer break and writer's block) I do have something else to offer you guys! As anyone who has read this fanfic knows, I've been working on an original story and I'm now in the process of trying to get it published (Got my first rejection yesterday! WOO HOO! I'm making an email folder of those things). **

**Since many of you have expressed interest in my story, I thought you might want to follow me on my road to publishing and also hear me rant about writing, books and film in general. If so then it's your lucky day because I started a blog a few weeks ago under the title of Authoress Anonymous. The pen name of "Kallypso" was unfortunately stolen from me, which is to bad because I usually find I'm the only one who uses that spelling.**

**Anyway, back on topic: The blog is at ****authoress_anonymous_dot_blogspot_dot_com (Pretend the underscores don't exist and change the "dot" to a period),** also known as "The Pen and Sword (Whims and musing of a writer)" I really should have told all of you about this earlier since you are my most loyal fans but, you know, live and learn.

**I will say that I'm trying to keep my blog spoiler free and since you all know half of those spoilers, I will request that you don't comment with any of them on any posts. If you do I'll just delete them. Just chuckle to yourself and know that you know half of what will happen.**

**Besides, what if I change something and that "HUGE THING" you've sworn will happen never does. You won't look very smart will you?**

**But anyway, I'd love to see some of you at the blog since I'm no longer writing this fic! Have a wonderful day!**

**-Kallypso**


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